True Love Way
by taperjeangurl
Summary: When Emma Delaney returns to Charming after college, she expects she's the only one who's really changed. But life and unforeseen events will pull her deeper into the club and into something she never prepared for: "Love Song" Reboot. Jax/OC.
1. Graduation

**A/N-**This is the "Love Song" reboot-it's not that I didn't necessarily like that story, I just felt like I had run myself in a corner and needed to start over. So I used the alternate title I'd had for "Love Song" and the alternate name for the OC. She's essentially the same but the situation is different. I'm still planning on leaving the original story up (and continuing "An Education"-promise!) but I felt like there was just another angle I wanted to try out with these characters if put in different circumstances. So here it is...I hope you enjoy...

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><p>TRUE LOVE WAY<p>

Chapter One

With a deep sigh, Emma Delaney took in the reflection in front of her. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see but she'd been expecting...something. Here she was, standing in the room of her childhood, and everything looked exactly as she'd left it. But she figured six years of college and a double major would have done _something_ to the reflection this mirror had been used to seeing. Sure, she looked a little older, her hair was a little bit shorter than usual, and she'd filled out a little more since she'd officially resided in this room but shouldn't there be something more? She'd have thought graduating from college would make her different somehow but she didn't really feel that different.

She glanced around at the remnants of her childhood and smiled softly when her gaze found the wall of pictures she'd collected over the years, most of them with her best friend—who was beyond thrilled, almost in a scary way, that not only was she finally back for good but she'd also agreed to move in with her—and she realized, as she looked around the room with its purple walls and bright white dresser, that childhood rooms had a way of making you remember the good instead of the bad.

"Em?" Her mom called from down the stairs. "You almost ready? The party's gonna start without the guest of honor..."

She blew out a breath and did another once over in the mirror, almost stumbling back when her mother materialized behind her.

"Shit, mom—you scared me."

Luann held up a hand in defense. "Sorry...I just wanted to see if you were ready...honey, you look fantastic."

She gestured to the mirror in front of them and Emma tilted her head to side as she surveyed her outfit. After an unnecessarily pain-staking rifling through boxes in the U-haul still parked in the driveway, she'd finally decided on a pair of dark skinny jeans, a silky and flowing white top with delicate spaghetti straps, and a pair of nude heels. She wasn't sure what to wear to her own graduation party, especially when it was being held at the clubhouse of an outlaw motorcycle gang. She was secretly hoping it wouldn't turn out to be just another typical Samcro party that ended with drunken bodies lying face down on top of one another, joints still blazing, and the smell of stale beer and pussy in the air. She shuddered a little at the thought...it'd been a while since she'd been to one of those and part of her just prayed that maybe they would be able to tone it down a little. But then again, these were the same people she'd known all her life—and even if she'd changed, even just a little, they most certainly had not.

"Here, Em," her mom was saying behind her now as she grabbed the still-hot curling iron off the dresser in front of them. "Let me just touch up a couple pieces in the back."

She waited as her mother silently worked behind her and bit her lip...she wasn't used to this kind of motherly bonding with Luann and if she was being completely honest with herself, she felt a little uncomfortable. It didn't necessarily seem forced but this just wasn't normal for them. And while she appreciated her mother's efforts, she still found it difficult to completely trust her. She'd learned from experience that trusting her mother, regardless of what she said, usually lead to heartbreak and disappointment.

"There," Luann whispered softly as she gazed at both their reflections. "Almost perfect."

"Almost?"

Her mother smiled brightly and then dug into her back pocket to extend a small box towards her. She took it hesitantly as more feelings of uneasiness and a little bit of agitation rose up in her again. Playing out her role in this new game of happy family was going to quickly take a toll on her. With slightly shaking hands, her fingers tore at the packaging until she held the naked box in her hand.

"Well..." Luann prodded with a happy smile. "Open it already."

She found herself smiling back and carefully lifted the top. A thin silver locket was nestled on a piece of cotton and she gingerly lifted the long chain from the box.

"Look inside."

Feeling her chest tighten, she slowly snapped the locket open and stared with wide eyes at the picture framed inside of her mother, young and healthy, and her father, free and happy, holding her in his arms. The left side of the locket read: "To our Emma—We're so proud of you."

It took all of her strength not to throw the locket across the room and scream at the top of her lungs. Instead, with shaking hands, she pulled the chain over her head and stared blankly at her reflection.

"We were thinking that someday you could swap out that picture when you have kids and a husband...don't give me that look," Luann laughed and she could see that her mother was on the verge of tears, which made her feel even more uneasy. "I mean it—look, Emma, I am so proud of you—the only Delaney to finish college and with two fuckin' majors no less—excuse my language."

She laughed in spite of the sinking feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

"Your dad wishes he could be here, you know," her mother went on and now the tears were really flowing. "We could try calling him later during the party, if you want...we could probably get him."

She nodded slowly and swallowed. She'd been trying not to think about her dad all day, the one glaringly obvious missing piece. She'd been trying not to think about how he was sitting in prison right now and probably picturing this moment in his head. She swallowed again and squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to cry, especially in front of her mother. That was the last thing she needed today.

"I'll, um...I'll give you a second to finish up here. Let's plan on leaving in about five minutes, ok?" Luann was saying now, a slight hitch in her voice. She quickly stepped aside from the dresser and was out the door moments later.

Figures, Emma thought as a grim line set across her face. Things get too real, too emotional and Luann bails. What was new?

She shook her head and ran her forefinger underneath her lower lashes to make sure none of her eyeliner had smeared in that moment of weakness. And when she closed her eyes again, all she could see was the moment her relationship with her mother had been forever severed. It had been a typical night at the clubhouse—she'd only recently been allowed access into the clubhouse after months of begging and pleading with her dad to let her come. Dawn got to go and they were both sixteen, she'd reasoned and her father's response was always: "Yes, Dawn gets to go but her father is also a fucking idiot." It had been so predictable, she'd wondered if he was just looping it on auto-repeat. So when he'd finally relented, she'd just about shit her pants she was so shocked. And after she'd received long explanations about what she could potentially see from both her dad and Gemma, she was finally escorted into the real world of Samcro—ugliness and all.

Of course, she and Dawn hadn't been even planning on going to the clubhouse that night but had swung by because Dawn had needed to grab some cash from her dad—they needed money to get those fake IDs after all—and they'd just sauntered through the throngs of drunkeness and loud, blaring music in an attempt to find Tig like they were old pros, even though she knew they were both still secretly freaked out a little by what really went on inside walls of the clubhouse. While Dawn was charming her dad out of house and home, she had just rolled her eyes and decided to see if she could find either of her parents. As she searched through the crowd, it didn't take long to spot the newly-minted VP on a nearby couch with not one but two croweaters wrapping themselves up in his longish blonde hair and cocky grin. When he saw her, he'd flashed a wide grin her way and waved. She'd mouthed to him: "where's my mom?" And the second she saw the grin slide off his face, she'd known something was wrong. And when he hastily untangled himself from the two croweaters at his side and started pushing his way towards her, she'd known something was very wrong.

"Hey little darlin'," he'd lowered his head down to her ear so she could hear him and if the circumstances had been different, her reaction would've been too. "I think I saw her over there."

Everything seemed to happen all at once—just as Jax was trying to lead her back towards the front door, she'd turned her head and saw a flash of bleached blonde hair and had known instinctively that it was her mom. She'd squirmed out of Jax's grasp and staggered over to the bar, only to see her mother with a rolled up dollar bill held to her nose, snorting a long line of white powder. She barely registered Jax stepping in front of her, to shield her, didn't even feel his hand on her back, and when she pushed him away, she'd come face to face with the reality that her mother was a drug addict. Luann had stared at her with a wide, horrified expression, her hand coming up to cover her face and then to tear at her hair, black streaks falling down her cheeks and making her look crazed and frightening at the same time.

"Mom..." she'd choked out even as Jax pulled her away. "What are you doing?"

She'd felt her legs give out on her and Jax had had to wrap both arms around her waist to keep her upright. When he'd finally gotten her outside, she'd pushed herself away from him, stumbling to the ground as she screamed into her hands. His hands were on her back, on her waist, on her arms and he pulled her up and into his arms. She'd sobbed into his cut as he stroked her hair, his arms supporting her weight. She couldn't remember how she'd gotten home that night. All she knew was that the next morning, Luann checked herself into rehab.

She might feel differently if that had been the only time Luann had tried to get clean. But by the third attempt, Emma had stopped believing her mother's promises. Yet now, she was back. She hadn't intentionally tried to run away but San Diego had been a welcome alternative to Charming. If she was being completely honest with herself, she knew, deep down, that she'd purposefully pursued a double major just to keep herself away for a little bit longer. She knew she didn't have to come back—she could've stayed in San Diego or moved to LA or Chicago or anywhere. She didn't know what had pulled her back—maybe it was guilt, maybe it was because she knew that was what was expected of her, maybe it was because this was all she really knew. And ever since she'd been back—a full twenty-four hours to be exact—Luann had been so happy, practically walking on air. Then she'd offered her a management job at CaraCara and she just didn't know what to do with that yet. While business management was technically one of her two majors—something she'd honed an interest for as a part-time office secretary at Teller-Morrow during high school—working at CaraCara and TM were two completely different things. It would make her mother unbelievably happy but she didn't know where that left her. She didn't necessarily want to have any part of her mother's business but maybe a job was a job and Luann had offered her a very nice salary with benefits just to sweeten the deal and make it that much more difficult to say no. She knew for a fact that she couldn't get a salary like that anywhere else in Charming but that also meant she'd have to be surrounded by her mother's business and everything it entailed. But Luann had sounded so hopeful when they'd discussed it over the phone and she couldn't remember the last time she'd heard that in her mom's voice. Could she really handle CaraCara…just because her mom was trying? Didn't that mean she was supposed to try too?

With once last glance at her reflection, she met Luann down the stairs and they silently left the house to head out to the clubhouse. In an act of pure desperation, her mom started chatting absent-mindedly as they drove, probably to tune out the silence between them.

"As far as I know, all the Samcro boys will be there—just to warn you, I think Bobby's got some kind of surprise planned for you—Gemma and I tried to talk him out of it but I don't think he's gonna listen..."

Emma groaned and leaned her against passenger side door. "I thought I said no surprises."

"I know, Em, but you know him—he won't take no for answer. He mentioned something about some of the other boys being in on it too but wouldn't tell me anything..."

"As long as he doesn't sing..."

Luann laughed and reached over to smooth a wayward tendril that had blown up from the wind. She immediately turned to face her mother with wide, surprised eyes and Luann's arm quickly fell back on her lap, as if she knew that would be asking too much. When her phone buzzed in her purse, Emma dug it out and handed it over to her. Luann sighed deeply and quickly pounded out a reply, keeping one eye trained carefully on the road.

"Who texted you?" Emma asked.

Luann blew out a nervous breath and tossed her phone back in her purse. "Just Gemma—wondering where we are. Everyone's already there waiting for us."

"I guess we better hurry up then, huh?"

Luann smiled weakly and her hands tightened on the wheel.

"Mom...? Everything alright?" This agitation was starting to make her nervous too.

She nodded quickly with a tight smile and focused back on the road.

Emma wasn't used to seeing her mom on edge...well, she corrected herself, she wasn't used to seeing her mom on edge for something that wasn't drug-related. She knew that wasn't exactly fair; Luann had been attempting sobriety on and off for eight years and she'd seen plenty of true sober moments to know the difference. Maybe she was just nervous too. And it felt really awkward to be nervous about going to her own graduation party. After all, everyone at the party were people she'd known since she was in diapers...she just hadn't seen most of them in a few years.

Since leaving for college, she'd put some distance between herself and the club. Sure, she came back for holidays and some breaks but it just wasn't the same. The only non-blood related person associated with the club she'd kept in regular contact with was Dawn because they'd been best friends basically since they'd left the womb and even that was scattered at best. Dawn, who had chosen beauty school instead of the two-year college Charming offered, had made regular visits at least every other weekend when she'd first started school—then it was once a month and then every couple of months as their lives became busier and increasingly separate. But they'd never lost the fierce loyalty to each other and when they finally were back in each other's company, it was like no time had even passed. So agreeing to move in with her had been a no-brainer.

It was just everyone else she wasn't sure about. Luann had mostly kept her up-to-date with any major gossip or happenings within the club and whenever she did come back to visit, everyone had always welcomed her as if nothing had changed, as if she had never left in the first place and would always be a member of the family. But things had changed and she didn't really know where she fit in the grand scheme of things anymore. She didn't know if she could just slip into the fold again and allow herself to be submersed in the club.

As Luann parked the car, the clubhouse loomed in front of them and she had to blow out a deep breath to get her bearings. This was it. When they walked through the parking lot and stood face to face with the front door, she almost felt like she was outside her body, looking down from above as she watched herself go through the door behind her mom.

She didn't have a chance to even register where she was or who was there because the second her body was completely through the door, a flash of bright red was barreling towards her and slammed into her, taking them both out and onto the sticky floor below them.

"Em!" Dawn practically screamed into her ear as her arms locked around her neck.

"Jesus Christ, Dawn—let the girl at least say hi to everyone before you start playin' football," Tig muttered with a laugh as he bent to pull both girls up to their feet. He promptly pulled Emma to him and planted a wet kiss on her forehead. "How's it goin', sweetheart. Long time no see, right?"

"Hey Tig," she laughed and pushed her hair out of her face. She didn't even get a chance to say anything else because Bobby was already pulling her in for a bear hug, who was then unceremoniously pushed out of the way by her godmother.

Gemma embraced her tightly and gently pushed her back to hold her at arm's length by the shoulders. "It's good to have you back, hun. And congratulations...we're so proud of you."

"Thanks, Gemma," She whispered softly back to her before Clay took his turn and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

The procession line went on a little like that—next up was Chibs, then Juice, Piney, Opie, and as everyone seemed to be simultaneously embracing her, she caught a glimpse of the blonde, long-haired, smirking VP with his arms crossed over his chest as he hung off to the side to wait his turn. After Opie released her, Jax stepped forward with a wide grin and quickly pulled her into his arms.

"Welcome home, Em," he murmured in her ear. "I'm glad you're back."

She pulled back a little and didn't realize her hands were still resting lightly on his shoulders. "Hey Jax."

He chuckled and she quickly slid her hands off his shoulders to clasp in front of her.

"Shit—it feels like it's been years." He was saying now.

She laughed in spite of the fluttering in her stomach and nodded. "Yeah, well, that's because it has been years. Three, I think."

He squinted a little and glanced up at the ceiling as he finished his mental calculations. She knew she was right—the most recent time she'd been home was Christmas but she hadn't seen anyone but her mom and Dawn because she'd had to go back to her internship right away. The two times before that he'd been on a four and five day run somewhere—she couldn't remember where—and before that, he'd been serving a three-month stint in Stockton. Sometime in between, he'd gotten married but she had skipped the wedding, using finals as an excuse. There was something about the idea of him marrying a stripper and known junkie that she just couldn't bring herself to watch. Her mom and Dawn, of course, had given her a full report—Jax had mostly likely been drunk or at the least very close to being drunk and Wendy had most definitely been high. A shitshow of epic proportions if there ever was one. And now, he was newly divorced with a baby on the way.

"Yeah, you're right." Jax was saying now. "Three years. Damn—that seems like a long fuckin' time."

She smiled and swallowed when she realized how close they were standing. "Yeah, it is."

"Sorry to interupt," Dawn sang out as she materialized next to her, linking their arms together. "But, um, I think someone needs to start drinking because this is a fuckin' graduation party!"

She allowed herself to be steered away and to the front of the bar where she was introduced to some new prospects and Opie's girlfriend, Lyla. Dawn plopped a beer in front of her and she quickly took a long pull, scanning the room for the first time with an agitated sigh. There weren't any streamers or signs or weird tablecloths and she was grateful her mom and Dawn had actually listened to her about that, just a few card tables jam-packed with chips, slow-cookers, pasta dishes, and a huge stack of buns. The beverages, of course, were behind the bar. But it really was just immediate Samcro family—just like her mom and Dawn promised her. She glanced over at her mom, who was deep in conversation with Gemma, and sent her a reassuring smile. Then her eyes landed on Jax, who smiled back as he brought his beer to his lips.

"So," Dawn chirped next to her. "Is this alright? I know you said you didn't really want to have the party at the clubhouse but..."

She just waved a hand. "This is great...can't say I'm still not a little worried about what the rest of the night will bring, though."

Dawn pouted and crinkled her nose. "It's gonna be a fuckin' good time because it isn't everyday my best friend graduates from college. So, basically, I'm tellin' you you're gonna have a fun tonight whether you like it or not."

"Wow," she laughed. "Ok, then."

Dawn shrugged smugly and turned her head to scan the room. A few seconds later, she nudged Emma with her elbow and leaned over to her as she whispered: "Jax is lookin' at you."

"What? Um...our backs are turned, Dawn. I think you're losing it."

Dawn tried to discreetly look back at him by resting her chin on her shoulder. "Oh yeah, he totally just looked away now 'cuz he knows I caught him."

"Uh huh. Right. That's pretty ridiculous."

Dawn just shrugged again and all she could do was take another drink. Dawn must've lost her mind since the last time they'd spoken—Jax had never seen her as anything other than Otto's much younger daughter and while he'd always been friendly, always been kind to her, he'd been just as friendly and kind to Dawn too; he'd always treated her like the child she was. She remembered him ruffling her hair with a greasy hand, turning up a song he knew she liked on the radio, and sometimes sharing his dinner with her whenever they had a shift in common at TM—she'd started unofficially working there when she was 12, officially at 14—and he'd often teased her about having to beat the shit out of any guys that might show up looking for her. That had actually only happened once but it had been the stern, menacing glint of murder in her dad's eyes that had sent Adam Williams running for the hills; Jax had just stood behind her dad with a wide, toothy grin, his arms crossed over his chest as he'd yelled out to Adam that he'd better never see him around TM again if he didn't want a foot shoved up his ass. She'd been horrified and didn't speak to either of them for two full days; needless to say, after that incident, no boy made the mistake of ever doing that again.

She was five years younger than him and he'd had his interests preoccupied by much more mature and experienced prospects to notice a skinny, awkward little girl who'd had glasses and braces until she was fourteen. The endless revolving door of women was almost vomit-inducing—before and after she'd witnessed Jax trash his dorm room mere minutes after he'd realized Tara was never coming back. He'd turned to face her, chest heaving with wide, watering eyes and they stared at each other for a few moments before he promptly shut the door. That was the moment she'd realized he might actually be capable of legitimate feelings towards a woman—even though said woman would never be her. What she really wanted to do, though, was mentally kick herself—she was 24 years old and needed to stop acting like a stupid teenager. A few stolen glances when she thought he was looking, minor cardiac arrest when he actually did, swooning from afar—that was all innocent enough when she was in high school. But she wasn't in high school anymore. She wasn't even in college anymore—which meant it was time to start really acting like an adult.

"He looks good though, right?" Dawn leaned over to her again with a low murmur.

She just shrugged. "Yeah, so? Doesn't he kinda always though?"

"Shit—I forget you haven't seen him for a while. He's looked sorta rough the last couple of years like he's just been in between being drunk and hungover the whole time—like seriously, worse than when what's-her-name blew out of here—he looked fuckin' miserable. But the last couple months he's finally started to look better—like back to his eye candy old self. I am so glad he kicked that bitch to the curb."

"Jesus, Dawn," Emma admonished her softly. "She's pregnant with his kid-"

"So what?" Dawn snorted. "Still a dumb bitch even when she's not high."

"Right."

She'd only met Wendy once in passing and once was really enough. Jax's ex-wife hadn't seemed all that coherent when they'd met—she could recognize that from a mile away. But Wendy had just sneered and dismissed her like she was a piece of dirt which didn't sit well with her given her own connections to the club, even though she didn't usually like to acknowledge her 'rank' among the women connected to Samcro. They'd barely exchanged two words; Wendy had just stared her down with half-hooded eyes and dilated pupils. The words "what the fuck does Jax see in you" were right on the surface but she'd bit her tongue. They didn't know each other and now, as good luck would have it, they probably never really would.

"Have you thought about what you're gonna do yet?" Dawn pulled her from her revelry with a surprisingly quiet voice, given the escalating party behind them.

She just sighed and took another drink. "I'm not sure."

Dawn nodded quickly. "Right...we'll talk later, ok?"

Grateful for the moment of silence, she scanned the room again and grinned widely when she caught the eyes of the Son Dawn had been relentlessly pursuing for the past six months. When he realized she knew his eyes were on her fire-haired best friend, he immediately looked away and headed for the food table.

"So..." she leaned over to her best friend...it was time for some payback. "Someone was looking at you..."

Dawn's eyes lit up and her head immediately whipped around to find the object of their discussion.

"He's not lookin' anymore, Em," Dawn whispered under her breath, disappointment etched in her features.

"Yeah, but he _was_ though," she pointed out. "That's what really matters here."

"I guess you're right...I didn't get a chance to tell you yet but...tonight's the night. I know it...he's gonna get drunk enough and then I'm gonna pounce on him and then he won't be able to keep sayin' no." Dawn said matter-of-factly.

"Wow—I wish I had a tape recorder so I could play that back for you. You realize you sounded like a crazy stalker, right?"

Dawn smirked conspiratorily and took a long pull from her beer. "Maybe I am."

"Well, you're setting him up to be murdered—painfully and sadistically, I might add—you know that, right?"

Dawn just shrugged again. "Everything has a way of workin' itself out, you know?"

She rose her eyebrows. "Ok, if you say so."

"Yo Dawn," Jax called out behind them, his voice getting closer and closer as he spoke. "Quit hoggin' the new grad...what are you talkin' about, anyway? Causin' trouble already?"

A few moments later, Jax was elbow to elbow with her and he leaned on the bar with a cocky, lop-sided grin that made her throat tighten.

"Go away, Jax—girl talk," Dawn reached across her to swat at him playfully. "Besides, we were just reminiscing about the time you stole our fakes and got us grounded for a month."

Jax grinned fondly at the memory and rubbed his chin as he bit his lip to keep from laughing. "I didn't steal shit. I was helpin' you. And you ladies were about to land yourselves in a heap of trouble if you'd gotten an underage. I'm still waitin' for that thank you, by the way."

Emma smiled back at him and felt her heart race a little faster at their sudden closeness. "That's not the way I remember it."

"Oh yeah?" He cocked an eyebrow at her in a faux-challenge.

"Yeah," she laughed. "I remember Dawn and I having a great time, dancing and drinking and who shows up but the big VP on his high horse-"

"You mean white horse." Dawn interjected with a evil smirk.

She held a hand out to her best friend and shook her head. "No, I said high horse. Anyways—I seem to remember you yanking us out of that bar in Lodi, grabbing our wallets out of our purses, and _taking_ the IDs."

"Like I said," he shrugged. "Helpin' you."

"Yeah," Dawn pointed out, her eyes narrowed. "But you didn't have to inform our dads about our little trip to Lodi though. That royally fuckin' sucked."

"I thought I would never see the light of day again, actually." Emma added with a firm nod.

Jax raised both hands in the air and laughed. "Whatever, ladies. What your dads dished out was tame compared to what would've happened to you if you'd been in that bar when the cops showed up. But I think we're missing the big picture here-I promised you I would give your fakes back when you were eighteen and I did I give 'em back, ladies?"

"Yes." They answered in dejected unison.

"And we're still arguin' about this how many years later because..." Jax trailed off with a triumphant grin.

Dawn rolled her eyes with an unnecessary dramatic flair. "Whatever, I'm gonna go grab some food."

Jax shook his head and took another drink as he watched her leave.

"I know she's your best friend but you know she's fuckin' crazy, right?" He leaned into her as he spoke. "You sure you wanna move in with her?"

She just chuckled as she put her palms on the bar to lean back. "Trust me, I've known that since before we could walk...but she's my best friend. Always has been always will be, you know?"

He nodded with an easy smile. "So when's the big move-in day anyways?"

"Uh...the plan is tomorrow but we'll see if that actually happens...depending on how the night turns out."

"Need any help? I don't really have anything goin' on the next few days."

Her brow crinkled in thought as she weighed her options. Of course he was just being a nice guy but she didn't really need to get in the habit of asking him for help. That was a place she just didn't want to go.

"Nah," she answered finally. "I think between me, my mom, Dawn, and Tig—we got it."

He shrugged. "Alright—well, I'm all yours if you need me."

It was better just to ignore that and she chewed on her bottom lip in thought. Instead of responding, she just smiled and took another drink of her beer, quickly finishing it. A moment later, he propped himself up to lean down underneath the other side of the bar to grab her another beer from an ice bucket. He popped the top off, tossed it over the bar, and slid it over to her with a sly grin.

"Startin' the night off right, huh?" He smiled as she quickly took a pull from the bottle.

She shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's my party right?"

His smile widened and she could've sworn he was slowly inching closer to her. As his head dipped a little lower and tilted towards her, she couldn't stop herself from shivering. And just as he opened his mouth to say something to her and she could feel his warm breath on her ear, someone was pulling on her arm and yanking her anyway from him.

"Time for your surprise, sweetheart," Bobby was telling her. "I'm not gonna sing, scout's honor."

She just rolled her eyes and allowed herself to pulled over to where the rest of the party was waiting for her and was acutely aware that Jax was right on her heels. Bobby sat her down in a chair right at the front of the group just as Juice wheeled out a large computer screen sitting on a cart.

"What's going on?" She frowned, not sure she liked wherever this was potentially heading.

"Don't worry...you're gonna like this, promise." Bobby reassured her with a nod as he bent down to turn on the screen and then waved into the tiny camera she hadn't realized was there. "Everythin' set, Juice?"

"Should be ready." He nodded, taking a step back to disappear into the crowd.

Bobby looked down at her from where he stood by the screen and grinned. "Alright, girl, happy graduation from all us Samcro boys."

Her heart froze as he stepped away from the screen and her dad's gruff yet smiling face spread across the screen.

"Dad?" She couldn't believe what she was seeing and her eyes welled up with ready to be shed tears.

"Hey, Em—I'm sorry I can't be there with ya but we figured this was the next best thing."

A silent sob escaped her lips and she quickly covered her mouth to hide it.

"That's alright," she replied shakily. "I miss you, Dad."

"I miss you too, honey...but shit, you look great, you sound great...you've got the whole world ahead of you now. Grab it by the fuckin' horns and hold on." He was trying to smile, but she could tell he was really trying to keep his emotions in check. They had an audience, both in the clubhouse and in the prison where he sat. Neither of them wanted to look like weak, blubbering idiots and she had to smile at how alike they were. She was always grateful she tended to take after her dad more than her mom, for more reasons than one.

A tear was sliding down her cheek now and her dad quickly shook his head.

"Don't cry, Em—this isn't the time for cryin'. Now—I only have a couple minutes left, so here's what I want you to do tonight: have a couple drinks for me, have a couple drinks for yourself...and just have fun, alright? No more cryin'...just be happy, ok? You're finally fuckin' done with school...took you long enough, right? Now you can finally get busy livin'...I love you, Emma."

"I love you too, Dad."

They smiled back at each other and she quickly wiped another tear away, hoping he didn't see.

"Is it alright if I talk to your mom for a second?"

"Sure." She turned to find Luann but she was already right next to her. She looked on as her mother and father exchanged sincere and longing "I love yous" and she realized she'd forgotten just how devoted they were to each other. Their marriage had somehow survived a shitstorm—rehab, near separations, countless arguments and struggles surrounding the natures of their respective 'careers', and now prison. It was a miracle they were not only still in love but still married. Despite everything, she knew how lucky she was to have parents that loved each other and were still together.

When a prison guard came into view and announced their time was up, Otto winced and placed a hand gently on the screen. "Well, girls, I gotta go. Come visit me soon, alright?"

Both Emma and her mother nodded.

"I love you, Em, and I'm so fuckin' proud of you I almost can't sit still. You're gonna be fine, sweetheart."

A moment later, the screen went black and her father's image was gone. She quickly stepped away from her mother to avoid having to embrace her in front of the entire club and her eyes immediately flew to Bobby. Before she knew it, she was being pulled in for another bear hug.

"Thanks, Bobby. You didn't have to do that but I'm glad you did."

"Well...we didn't really know what kind of present you give someone for a college graduation..."

"It was perfect."

As Bobby released her, she turned to the crowd of people she'd known her entire life. Since she'd left for college, she hadn't allowed herself to think about family and Samcro in conjunction with each other. It was hard to think of them as family. Maybe part of it stemmed from the circumstances that led to her father's current stint in prison—if he wasn't a member of Samcro, he wouldn't be there in the first place—and it had always been easier to think of the women associated with Samcro as family—Gemma and Dawn, in particular—than the men of Samcro. But now she had a feeling she'd judged them a little too harshly.

"Thank you, guys," she started, worried she'd start to tear up again. "I don't know how you pulled that off but that was seriously the best present ever."

"It was Bobby's idea," Tig offered simply. "I just gave that guard a little cash."

"Juice set up all that computer shit," Bobby held up a hand and pointed. "And Jax made all the calls."

She smiled again and quickly realized that trying to dam up her tears was futile. A few tears slipped easily down her cheeks as she stepped over and embraced each of them as a silent thank you. When her arms wrapped around Jax's shoulders, it took her a moment to completely step away from him. The pull that'd been absent for the last three years had quickly taken root again and she was not happy about it. She was older now, wiser, and had learned that bad boys were always just that—bad. It wouldn't be a good idea to fall back into old habits, especially when she'd only been back in Charming for a full twenty-four hours—it was pathetic. And she felt it too.

When she stepped away from him, there was something in his eyes that she couldn't quite process. Something she had never seen there before—at least not directed towards her. Still, she took a few cautionary steps back with a soft smile and a sigh, then she turned away from him completely and decided it was time to find Dawn.

* * *

><p>Jax kept his eyes trained on her as he watched her bounce from person to person, trying to give ample time to each party guest and keeping a careful distance from her mother. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. When he glanced up, Dawn was staring right at him with a smug expression as if to say: I told ya so.<p>

To be fair, she had told him that Emma wasn't quite the same. So he had anticipated a change in her. Prepared himself for whatever was different about her. But he had not prepared for the mature, intelligent, beautiful, and alarmingly sad woman that had walked through the clubhouse's doors. The twenty-one year old girl he remembered from three years ago was gone and replaced with the vision that floated around in front of him. The physical alterations were immediately obvious. A fucking blind man could see how gorgeous she had become...firm, long legs flexing easily in those heels, curves in all the places he loved them—her shirt just skimmed over what he was positive had not really been there before and her blonde hair—a little shorter than he remembered—fell just below her shoulders in loose curls...he found himself wondering if it was as soft as it looked.

But her eyes were still the same—the eyes that had been seared into his memory. And seeing them now...it almost felt like he was seeing a ghost. Those were the same eyes that had struck him when he'd briefly glanced up during the destruction of his dorm room and had held him firmly in place. When he'd shut the door, and shut her out with it, he'd sat on his bed and allowed himself to cry. It was like she had given him permission to let go and purge himself of the turmoil inside him. And it was his first, most vivid memory of those eyes that had allowed him to do so.

The morning of his dad's funeral, he'd locked himself in his room and wouldn't answer his door for anyone, not even his mother. He just didn't want to see anyone, didn't want to see the pity, didn't want to hear "I'm sorry" anymore. So when there was yet another knock on his door, he growled at the intruder to go the fuck away. And then he'd heard a little tiny voice asking him to please open the door. He'd known it was her immediately and something propelled him off of his bed and over to the door. He'd opened it carefully, just an inch, and found himself staring down into wide, glassy, and sorrowful blue eyes. He hadn't been able to move even as she brushed past him and sat down on his bed. It had almost felt like there was some magnetic force coming from the bed, pulling him closer and closer until he was sitting next to her. She'd just looked up at him again with those wide, angelic, haunting eyes and when she wordlessly folded her tiny hand into his, he'd felt a tear slip down his cheek. They'd sat there for at least a half an hour as he cried softly on the bed, no words exchanged between them.

That moment had never left him—it still amazed him that a ten year old had been able to do what none of the adults in his life could. And when his mom told him she was moving back to Charming, seemingly permanently, he found himself thinking about those eyes in the strangest moments...sometimes before he drifted off to sleep, sometimes when he was just mindlessly riding his bike on the open road, the last time he'd been forced to shoot a man, and most recently, when he'd seen his kid's ultrasound for the first time.

He'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't wished she was a little bit older. He'd toyed with the idea when she was sixteen, then again after she turned seventeen—then had completely berated himself for

even thinking it...jailbait, especially the jailbait daughter of a man he had a deep respect for—not to mention his mother's almost-namesake and his parents' god-daughter-was not something he could allow himself to be interested in. Then he'd considered it more seriously when she turned eighteen. The foundation of what he saw before him now had already been put in place even then and while he wasted time contemplating over too many bottles of Jack Daniel's and too many nameless crow-eaters, she'd already left for college. Part of him had been relieved. The other part of him missed her. That's why it felt so fucking good to finally be in the same room with her again.

And now, he was faced with the woman she had become. It was arresting and alarming all at the same time. When had this happened? When had this maturity and confidence and intelligence appeared? Sure, she'd always been smart as a kid but this was different. Education had clearly had an effect on her. She'd obviously gained some experience in college and he could only guess as to what that exactly entailed. Still...he couldn't take his eyes off her. And he knew he needed to stop. Dawn was starting to catch on to him.

That was the last fucking thing he needed right now—the devil's bat-shit crazy spawn all over his ass. Besides, he had to remind himself, he hadn't really seen or spoken to Emma in three years. That didn't exactly mean he could pick things up right where they, or he, specifically, had left off, especially since it had never even started in the first place.

He wasn't sure what to do now—he had changed since she'd last seen him too. Married. Divorced. Father-to-be, even if he still wasn't sure what to do with that title. He'd been consistently unhappy and a lot of it stemmed from his relationship with Wendy and what it did and didn't represent and had tried to rectify his mistake with too much whiskey and too many faceless crow eaters, porn pussy included. He'd also consistently refused to listen to his mother until it was too late...until she was pregnant. He had never really loved her; he'd tried but he'd been forcing it since day one. But once Wendy finally agreed to sign the divorce papers, he'd felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Of course, the irony wasn't lost on him that all this—in addition to stumbling across his dad's dumbfounding, head-spining manuscript—had all coincided within a month of each other. Wendy finally letting him go. Beginning to come to terms with being a father and what that meant. Wondering what the club would be like if his dad was still alive. Emma coming home. It was too much to process at once. He needed a fucking drink.

At some point, the party had slowly shifted outside and someone had started a bonfire. Everyone began congregating within the vicinity of the fire as the prospects brought coolers and kegs outside. The party itself continued on like it had been inside the clubhouse—rowdy and slightly out of hand—and so he'd been more than a little surprised to see the guest of honor nearly sitting it out, just watching the night unfold on a nearby picnic table. With a quick glance around, he approached her with slow steps. He didn't want to seem overly eager but he was grateful to have a little time to really talk to her, to figure out just what was different and what had stayed the same.

Her eyes were trained on something off to the side as she played with the half-empty beer bottle in her hands. When she realized he was there, her expression shifted into something he couldn't quite read.

"Hey." He called out softly as he approached.

"Hey." She smiled.

"What are you doin' over here by yourself?"

She grinned devishly and pointed towards the direction she'd been looking before with her beer bottle. "Just taking in the show."

His eyes followed and he shook his head when he realized what she'd been watching. Dawn was perched against the far side of the clubhouse and pinning Juice between her and the wall with more than just her hands. Juice's eyes flicked nervously from her to the bonfire then back to her with a scared expression on his face...it was difficult to tell which was more scary...Tig catching them in their current position or Dawn herself. Both were equally nightmare-inducing.

"Ah yes...the game appears to be back on." He chuckled as he sat down across from her.

Her ey es narrowed and she bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Wait...you mean you already knew about them?"

He shrugged. "Everyone knows...I think Tig has an idea; he's just pretending he doesn't know shit right now. Probably helps him sleep at night. It's not like Dawn's done a very good job of hidin' it though. I just can't believe he's been able to escape her clutches for so long."

She laughed and reached over to swat his arm playfully. "Aww, come on. You make her sound like she's the devil incarnate."

"I think she might be." He quickly held his hands up in defense. "Sorry; no offense or anything. We've had this discussion before."

She just smirked at him and her eyes shifted back to check on Dawn with a small sigh. "You're right. She doesn't do a very good job of hiding it. Sublety is not her forte, that's for sure."

He blew out a laugh and took a pull from his beer. "I think that's the understatement of the year, darlin'."

He'd almost said little darlin', like he used to call her. But he caught himself. She wasn't little anymore. And she seemed to recognize this shift and nervously focused on her beer bottle again.

"I never got a chance to congratulate you," she glanced up at him as she spoke and made his heart clench. "When is she due?"

It took him a moment to grasp what exactly she was talking about and when he did, he was quickly brought back down to reality again. Oh right. That.

"Uh...two months, I think."

"You think?" She frowned, tilting her head to the side.

He shrugged. "I haven't exactly been around...she's supposed to be sendin' me her doctor bills but it's been awhile since I've seen one."

Her frown deepened. "Don't you think you should check on her? I mean...take her to the doctor, make sure everything's alright, you know?"

He started chewing on his lip as he considered her suggestion. Maybe he'd slacked a little on the care-taking part of all this because he was still trying to figure out how the fuck he was going to be a father. Or what kind of father he was going to be. It still scared the shit out of him just to think it.

"Are you nervous?" She was saying now.

"What?"

"Are you nervous about...you know, being a dad?" She seemed hesitant to ask as if she instinctively knew this was a sensitive subject for him.

So he just shrugged. "Yeah...who wouldn't be, right? I'm still tryin' to figure out how to set up a nursery, I have no idea how to change a diaper, and I have no idea what's gonna happen when he's here."

"He?" She asked with a small smile.

He found himself grinning back. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a boy. I mean, it has to be a boy, right?"

She just shook her head with a soft laugh. When her eyes lingered on his, it was difficult to keep himself in check. But just sitting with her like this, in as much quiet as they were going to get given the party behind them, sent a wave of peacefulness through him that he hadn't felt in a long time. Then, a moment later, her eyes were back on the bottle in front of her.

"So...are you gonna take that job at CaraCara?" He asked quietly.

She sighed deeply and took a drink from her beer, which he noticed now was close to being finished. "I have no idea yet."

He nodded slowly and chewed on his lip as he surveyed the internal struggle splaying across her features. It was a well-known fact that Emma and Luann's relationship had been strained at best since the night he'd pulled her away from her mother's glaringly obvious drug habit. Luann's drug use had also been well-known within the club and she'd made no efforts to hide it whenever Emma and Dawn weren't there. If their roles were reversed, he knew he'd feel the exact same way. He imagined he probably wouldn't even be able to be in the same room as Luann, if she was his mother.

"No one would blame you if you didn't, you know." He told her softly. Someone needed to give her permission to say no, to tell her that it wouldn't make her a bad person if she did.

She nodded and swallowed tightly. When she looked back up at him, there was a sadness in her eyes, something he had first noticed earlier.

"I know," she started quietly. "I know I don't have to and I know she'll understand if I don't...it's just that..."

She glanced nervously at him again and he found himself leaning forward, wanting to slide his hand over to cover hers. But that would be too intimate though. He didn't need to be over-stepping an boundaries just yet anyways.

"What, Em?" He didn't want to force her to tell him anything she wasn't ready to talk about but judging from the look in her eyes, she seemed almost grateful.

She blew out a deep breath. "I don't know...she's just trying so hard, you know? When she first brought it up, I kinda wanted to laugh at her. Why would I want to work in the porn industry? I know it would be just the business end of it but still..."

He nodded quickly. He'd figured as much and couldn't blame her feelings. Being around those film sets was not exactly for everyone.

"It's not really about the sex and everything else that goes on on those sets; well, I mean yeah, that'd unconformtable as hell and weird but," she went on as if she could read his mind. "It's just that...I didn't go to college just to come back here and work at CaraCara, you know? I don't really know what my plan was but that definitely wasn't it. But she's just trying so hard...she seems so happy about being able to spend more time together...that's what she told me when she first offered me the job."

He nodded silently and smiled reassuringly to tell her he understood.

"I feel like if I tell her no, I'm saying no to having a relationship with her too. And I'm not sure that's what I want. I don't really know what I want but I'm not sure that I can let her get her hopes up like that...and it's like she's been walking on air since I got home, Jax; she's so happy. I can't remember the last time I saw her like that. I mean, she was always happy when I came home to visit but there was always this underlying distance anyways because I wasn't going to stay."

"But now you are gonna stay." He finished for her with a soft smile.

She smiled back and nodded. "Yeah—and it's not like she made me a shit offer either. I know I can't make what she's offering anywhere else, especially here in town, and part of me feels like I'd be stupid to turn that down. But still—I just feel like it seems so counterproductive, you know?"

"What?" He frowned.

She gestured out into the air with a sigh. "I just...I feel like I put all this work into school, I worked so hard for everything, my grades, my internship, my resume and then...I feel like I'd just be throwing it all away just to go work at CaraCara. It just feels like a step backwards, you know?"

"Yeah."

"But then I think about my mom...and how hard she's trying to make things better, to make up for everything that...I just don't know if I'm going to be able to tell her no. And I need a job."

Her dilemma was sure a shit one and he didn't envy her position. But, he figured, at least she was working through it and talking to somebody about what she was really feeling...and he didn't know what it mean that that somebody was him.

"Well...maybe my mom could find you something to do at TM while you decide. It'd buy you some time." He offered, trying to be helpful and give her an alternative.

She smiled and just shook her head. "Isn't that still kinda the same thing though? Going back to my part-time job from high school? At least CaraCara would be something different."

From the sound of her voice, he could tell she was starting to come to terms with the idea. And even though he knew it wasn't really his place, he wanted to make sure she had all the information before making her final decision.

"You know the club's put some money into CaraCara, right?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "The club needed another legit way to earn; Luann needed a little extra help. Everyone wins."

"So what...the club owns part of CaraCara now?"

"Yeah but Luann's still got all the "creative control"; I think those were her exact words. Bobby's over there pretty regularly to do the books and we stop over every once and awhile to make sure everything's goin' alright but that's it."

It took her a moment for all that to sink in and he wondered if maybe he shouldn't have told her. Luann had obviously conveniently left that detail out, most likely because she didn't want Emma to know CaraCara was in some trouble, and most likely because she wanted Emma to take the job because she wanted to, not because she knew her mother actually and legitimately needed help to save her business. He also wondered if now, knowing what she knew, Emma would have an even more difficult time making the decision that was right for her, not for her mom.

When she was still silent, he decided to play that angle.

"Well—if you didn't take the job, what would you do instead?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"What do _you_ really want to do—if all the rest of that shit didn't matter?"

Her eyes flew up to meet his and he had to swallow nervously from the burning intensity of them.

"I think I would open my own business if I could...maybe a bookstore, maybe a restaurant."

He chuckled, not really surprised by her answer or by the fact she hadn't even needed a beat to think about it.

"Well," he offered. "Maybe you take care of both—maybe you need to work for your mom for a little while, save up some cash, figure out a plan, and then, when you're ready, you do it."

"You think I could?"

"Hell yeah—you're smart, you know your shit...so you get some experience at CaraCara and then once you've got everything else figured out, you open your bookstore or your restaurant or whatever you want and I'll be your first customer."

She laughed and he was grateful to see her in a better mood. "You in a bookstore?"

"Hey," he pointed out good-naturedly. "I can read and as long as you've got a nice big stack of engine manuals and shit like that, I'll be there all the time."

"I don't even need to ask if I go the restaurant route."

"Oh yeah...definitely, I'd be there everyday."

They laughed and then she was leaning forward and he felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Thanks, Jax. I feel a lot better about everything...I thought I was going to lose my mind or something or at the very least, drink myself into a stupor tonight. But I feel better."

He nodded with a small smile. "Good—I'm glad I could help. It is your party after all and you should be havin' a good time."

"I am."

"Good."

They sat there for a moment and he didn't know what he was supposed to say now. But then, he was saved by a flash of red moving through TM's parking lot.

"Holy shit." He exhaled and pointed behind Emma.

She turned and her mouth dropped open at the sight of Dawn and Juice, practically tangled up in one another, stumbling through the lot and headed straight for the clubhouse's back entry. "Oh wow...she wasn't kidding about tonight being the night."

He just shook his head. "That stupid bastard doesn't know the storm of shit that's about to rain down on him."

She nodded and then she winced, running a hand over her face.

"What?" He laughed with a smile.

"I was just thinking that this is a really bad time to be moving in with her. I'm gonna see a lot of shit I don't want to see, aren't I?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid so." He shuddered at the thought. "Dawn isn't gonna let him off the hook after this."

"Stupid idiots." She muttered under her breath. "I think they have no idea what they're about to get themselves into."

"Got that right."

And as Emma sat across from him, with those wide, haunting eyes staring up at him, he was struck with the echo of her previous words and felt a strange sense of foreboding as he caught the smiling sparkle in the eyes that he'd never quite been able to shake. All day, he'd felt this way. And when everyone had sat there waiting for her to finally show up to the party, he'd felt it again. And now, in this quiet moment of solitude with her, he felt himself sinking lower and lower into something he couldn't describe. Maybe, if he was being completely honest with himself, it was something he wasn't ready to describe and he had a feeling that whatever it was, it was going to be a problem.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-**Hopefully you enjoyed it! I'm still planning on having this be more of a slow burn, like the original. It's gonna take them awhile to realize what has really always been there-and don't worry, I have no plans to bring Tara back. I like her where she is. Wendy will be a different story but will factor in more after Abel is born. I'm also looking forward to having a few different things going on at once with this story-Jax/Emma, Jax and JT's manuscript, Emma working at CaraCara and everything that will bring (yes, Ima will be making a few appearances), Emma and Luann working on their relationship, and Dawn/Juice-it's gonna be a fun challenge.

So, hopefully you liked it and would like to see more. Please let me know what you think...any feedback will be appreciated since I realize some people will be disappointed that "Love Song" as it stands will probably not be continued. But please let me know what you think! R/R!


	2. First Day

**A/N-**I know this too me way too long to get up but school just about kicked my ass the last month or so. Now that everything's settling down and it's almost over (thank God!), I'll be able to settle back into a more regular writing schedule. That long wait won't happen again and I apologize for that. Now, hopefully you enjoy this next chapter and that it was worth the wait.

* * *

><p>TRUE LOVE WAY<p>

Chapter Two

It was 8:50 in the morning and even though she needed to be inside the office within the next ten minutes, Emma found herself rooted to the car seat beneath her. She had sat there and watched several of her mother's employees enter CaraCara and couldn't yet bring herself to open the door. Going inside met that she was officially going to be employed there and it was anyone's guess as to when she'd be able to wring herself free of it. But she knew how bad that sounded and she knew that eventually her guilt would propel her to finally open the car door and set out onto the pavement. A few more minutes ticked away and the realization that she couldn't stay in there forever made her wince.

With a deep sigh, she grabbed her coffee and her bag with one hand and pushed the door open with the other. Glancing around at the other cars, a past conversation with Dawn bounced around in her mind. Dawn had been, naturally, surprised when she'd told her a few days after her graduation party that she decided to take her mom up on her offer. She was even more surprised to find out that her conversation with Jax that night had, in some ways, been the catalyst to her decision. All he'd done though was confirm something she'd already had a sneaking suspicion about—that her mother's business was in serious trouble and that she needed help. She also hadn't ever really thought about making CaraCara a temporary means to an end...everything Jax said had made perfect sense. She'd expected Dawn to be a little ambivalent, to wonder if she'd maybe jumped the gun, but she hadn't expected Dawn to become so unnervingly serious.

"Well, of course he wants you to work at CaraCara...then he's got easy access to both of you." Dawn had sputtered with frustation.

"What do you mean?"

"I just want you to have all the facts," Dawn had replied with an uncharacterisically quiet voice.

"What are you talking about?"

Dawn sighed and ran a hand over her face. "Jax has been tappin' one of your mom's 'employees' over there...her name's Ima, I think."

It took her a moment to find some words, any words, and when she finally did, all she could manage was: "Oh."

"I just thought you should know before you decide to really be over there everyday. I mean...if our roles were reversed, I don't think I could do it."

She'd frowned and swallowed tightly, not knowing what to do with this new information. "I'm not sure why you'd think this matters."

Dawn rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Don't tell me it doesn't bother you. I won't believe it."

"Why would it?"

After that, Dawn had just shook her head again and headed into her bedroom, probably to try to get Juice on the phone. She had stood there for a good five minutes trying to convince herself that it didn't matter. That she wasn't bothered by the fact that Jax was currently sleeping with a porn star that she would have to see and work with on a regular basis if she decided once and for all to take the job. It was no big deal. Why should she care what Jax does or who he does, right? As if everything else wasn't already enough...but this, whatever this was, wasn't going to be the thing that pushed her over the edge.

And it was that thought that propelled her forward. Her body felt like it was moving in slow motion but before long, she was pushing the door that would lead her into the office where her mom and God knows what was waiting for her.

"Em! Your first day...are you excited? I'm excited!" Luann was practically jumping up and down as she spoke. If only she could muster half of her mother's enthusiasm...well, then she just might be able to make it through the rest of this day.

"Hey mom," she smiled softly at Luann's exuberant face, suddenly finding it difficult to be so completely apprehensive about her new employment status.

"Well, before we get started, I think I should introduce you to everybody," Luann started.

She felt a sharp pang in her stomach and quickly shook her head. "Can't that wait? Don't you think we should start with everything in the office first...the books, inventory?"

Luann chewed on the inside of her cheek in thought and she quickly swallowed the lump rising in her throat. Her mom clearly wanted to stall showing her the actual business side of her business and, based off of her previous conversation with Jax and her own instincts, she had a pretty good idea why.

Thankfully, a knock on the door saved them both from having to confront the inevitable head-on.

"Um, Luann," a deep voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Ima's still not here. She's still not answering her phone, either."

"Fuck." Luann muttered under her breath in agitated frustration. "Well...keep calling her."

"Sure thing, boss." The man said on the other side before shuffling away.

She couldn't hide her reaction to the mention of Ima...the words 'difficult' and 'whore' and 'bitch' came to mind whenever she'd allowed herself to think about Ima—someone she'd never met—but now, it appeared as if all three of those adjectives were most likely accurate. Go figure.

"Is she always running late like that?" She asked hesitantly.

Luann just nodded as her eyes lifted briefly to the ceiling in frustration. "I swear...if that girl didn't bring in so much cash...I'd have fired her ass a long time ago."

Emma didn't really know how to respond to that so she just chose not to. There were still too many questions that needed answering about her new job and too much uneasiness already swirling around in her stomach for her to be able to handle any more information about Ima. Maybe it was best, in general, if she just kept her distance from Ima and the rest of her mom's "employees". She was sure to see some things that she really had no intention of seeing anyways and besides, she didn't need to get along with any of these girls in order to do her job.

"Maybe now's a good time to go over some of the books, right, Mom?" She offered.

Luann blinked back at her like she'd just completely crushed her spirit and she felt like shit because of it.

"We can't wait?" Luann asked meekly.

"Shit, mom, you look like I just kicked your puppy or something. It can't be that bad, can it?"

Luann opened her mouth to respond but was quickly cut off by yet another knock at the door. They barely had a chance to get the door open when Bobby's mess of curls popped through.

"Hey there, ladies, just reportin' for duty. Oh, by the way, I'm supposed to tell you that Ima is here and she's asking for you, Luann."

Her mom exhaled deeply before shaking her head. "Alright. I better see what the hell she wants now. I'll see you soon, honey."

Luann's hand slipped down her arm in a tender, motherly gesture that had her still reeling even after Luann left the room. Maybe she couldn't handle this. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. She'd only been in the office for a full ten minutes and she already wanted to bolt.

"So..." Bobby started slowly, assessing her mood. "Luann showin' you the ropes?"

"Well," she tried not to shift nervously as she spoke but couldn't help it. "Not really. She seems to be avoiding that part."

Bobby nodded knowingly and gestured for her to follow him. "That's what I figured. But the way I see it, the only way you get anything done around here is if you have all the facts, right?"

He ambled over to the large desk that was currently overflowing with paperwork, posters, and some haphazardly strewn about DVD cases with some, um, revealing pictures on them. Well, apparently the first order of business was to organize this disaster area of a desk. How could her mom possibly

find anything in there, let alone the entire office? She barely noticed when Bobby set some folders and a few books out on top of pile of paperwork.

"Here ya go, Em," he murmured grimly. "This should be everything you need to get yourself started here."

She stared at the small pile for a moment and again, fought the urge to run. She could still get out of this, couldn't she? Luann would understand if it was just too much too soon, right? Bobby's eyes went from the pile on the desk to her then back to the pile again, as if willing her to finally pick them up already.

"How bad is it, Bobby?" She heard herself ask softly.

Bobby sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "Well, it's not good, that's for sure."

"How much money has the club put into CaraCara?" She almost didn't want to know the answer.

"About $75K."

She swallowed tightly at this new piece of the puzzle. That was a hell of a lot of money for them to stick into something that was failing. The only real reason they could've done was for her dad's sake, maybe out of some respect for Luann, but still...it was only a matter of time before they got sick of seeing their money burn that way.

"How much of that have you lost?" She grimaced as she spoke.

"Well," he started thoughtfully. "About $20K...not really enough to pull out of the deal completely but enough to piss off the club a little bit. We put the money in thinking we'd get it back right away, that it would be another way to earn some legit money but that hasn't really happened the way we thought it would."

"How much longer before the club pulls out completely?"

Bobby shrugged. "The way she keeps losing money...I figure we lose another $10, maybe $15K within the next couple of months. Then they'll pull the plug for sure."

"And there's no way she can survive without the money the club put in, right?"

Bobby just shook his head sadly and that was all the answer she needed. As a deep sigh escaped her lungs, she felt the knot in her stomach quickly begin to unravel. Then she remembered the look on her mom's face as she tried in vain to evade showing her the finances—the defeat and weariness was unmistakable. Her mom needed help. And as much as she still felt uneasy in her mom's presence, as much as she would like to distance herself from both her mother and her business, she knew, deep down, that there was no way she could allow her to lose everything without at least trying.

If they could just figure out a way to make enough quickly to get the club back at least what they had already lost, maybe that would buy them some more time.

"Hey, Bobby," she started slowly as an idea began to form. "Do you know where the distribution inventories are?"

He took a few moments to do a little digging and she could barely contain herself as she flipped through the forms, quickly confirming what she had already gathered on her own.

"I knew it," she paused to look up at him, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. "This could be a solution here...look," she pointed to the quantity table. "My mom isn't even coming close to selling any of these titles in bulk...but most distribution companies want to buy in bulk because it lowers their overall price."

"And that's good, right?"

She nodded quickly. "You give a discount on the bulk prices so the companies will want to do it. But we'll still get the kickback for every copy that's sold—which means if we up the quantity that's moved, we up the profit too. We could even increase the kickback percentage a little bit since they're technically getting a deal from us. And...I was thinking...we could even re-release a few titles that are a little older, maybe there's some extra footage laying around—we can call it a special edition or something like that, charge a little bit more."

Bobby chewed on that for a moment, squinting carefully to look at the numbers, then, as it started to configure in his head, a slow smile crept on his face.

"Sweetheart, I love the way you think. Wouldn't that cost a little extra, though? To reprint something?"

"It would but the profit should offset the costs pretty quickly, especially if we can make that distribution deal pan out."

He nodded quickly and immediately pulled his prepay from his pocket. "That sounds real good, sweetheart. I'll call Jax to get him over here when you've got all the numbers worked out."

She felt that familiar knot slide back around in her stomach. "You need the whole club's vote to do this though, right? Why just him?"

Bobby just shrugged. "'Cause this is his deal. He's gotta be the one to pitch it to everyone else anyways."

"Oh."

She listened as Bobby spoke quickly to Jax and for the life of her, could not figure out why his imminent appearance was so alarming. If this was going to work, she apparently needed his approval first. Maybe if they could meet anywhere but at CaraCara...maybe then she could keep a level head around him. But it was going to be difficult here.

* * *

><p>A few hours and mountains and mountains of paperwork later, Emma realized she could no longer isolate herself in the office. She had to pee like a mother fucker. Why, oh why did she have to have all that coffee this morning? Oh right. Because she was nervous as hell. And now she was had to face the consequences.<p>

Shit. Having to pee meant having to leave the office which meant being exposed to the less-than-ideal environment outside. Maybe she could hold it...no, Jax would be here soon. She just had to suck it up. So before she could change her mind, she pushed herself out of the chair and into the brightly lit hallway to find the bathroom. Maybe she could be stealthy, like a ninja or something, and no one would even know she left the office.

She'd made it all the way to the bathroom and into the stall before she realized she wasn't alone in the bathroom. The click-click of dangerously high heels echoed across the tile and Emma felt her entire body tense as she listened from the safety of her stall as the owner of the heels came closer. Then she heard a voice and rolled her eyes when she realized the woman was on the phone.

"Hey Jax," the syrupy sweet voice purred as she moved into the stall next to her. Emma's heart dropped into her stomach and she swallowed tightly. Go fucking figure that the one person she'd been trying to avoid for the better part of the day just happened to end up in the stall next to her.

She knew she needed to bail, that it would be in her best interest if she just pulled her skirt back up and got the hell out of there before she could hear anymore. But something, probably the masochist in her, was rooting her firmly where she sat, paralyzed by the sound of Ima's shrill voice.

"Are you finally going to call me back this time?" Ima continued in that sickly high voice. "I hope you don't make me wait too long. I'm just on break right now and should be done here in a few hours. I'd really like it if you could give me a ride home tonight...I think I'd owe you a ride back too. Call me or text me...I miss you. Bye."

Emma had a difficult time not laughing out loud the longer she listened to Ima leaving that voicemail. It was pretty pathetic. And it did nothing but confirm her pre-existing suspicions about this girl in the stall next to her.

Now would probably be a good time to get the hell out of there. So she quickly scrambled back into her skirt and hustled out of the stall to wash her hands as quickly as humanly possible. She was almost finished, almost ready to dry her hands but then, it went to shit when she heard a flush. Her heart constricted in her chest as the door opened and Ima came striding out on sky-high red heels. Her hair was teased up at the crown and then wrapped in long pigtails that fell down around her exposed pierced nipples that peeped through the wide holes in her soaking, tattered shirt. The rest of her costume might as well have been nonexistant. Her makeup was, surprisingly, what irritated her the most. Ima's mascara and eyeliner looked like they were painted on and the foundation and blush was so heavily applied that she almost sneezed from breathing in the fumes.

Still, it didn't take Emma long to figure out exactly what 'film' they were currently shooting: Wet T-Shirt Contest, USA. Or maybe Wet Bitches. Or something along those lines.

She tried to keep her gaze focused on the mirror in front of her as Ima sauntered up next to her. They sat there in complete silence as Ima readjusted her boobs and tiny jean skirt. It was almost like she wasn't there at all.

A beat later, Emma blew out a breath and managed a smile into the mirror. Maybe all she needed to do was play nice. Kill her kindness. Well, here goes nothing.

"Hey...I'm Emma-"she started slowly.

"Luann's daughter—I know," Ima cut in sharply. "Aren't you supposed to be in the office or something?"

She swallowed slowly as she felt heat begin to rise up in her stomach. What the hell was her problem? All she was trying to do was take a stab at being polite.

"I'm just taking a break. I was starting to feel a little suffocated in there," she found herself chuckling and she wasn't sure if it was out of nervousness or uneasiness.

Ima didn't bother to respond; instead, she reapplied her lip gloss and then smacked her lips together as she watched herself in the mirror.

"Is the shoot going alright?" She didn't know why she was even attempting further conversation but silence wasn't exactly something she was comfortable with in this particular situation.

Ima just shrugged as she ran a finger underneath her bottom eyelid and Emma couldn't stop her eyebrows from raising. Really? That was her response? What was wrong with this girl? She wasn't about to waste anymore time on Ima. So much for trying to play nice.

"Well, see you later. Nice meeting you." The edge in her voice wasn't completely intentional but it was there nonetheless. If Ima picked up on it, she didn't show it.

Shaking her head and still a little taken aback by the encounter, Emma was out the door and heading back to the drama-free office. When she was safely tucked back on the other side of the office door, she leaned back against it to try to regain her bearings. Blowing out a deep breath, her eyes fell on the piles and piles of papers and files that still needed to sorted through. Well, no one ever said this job was going to be easy. She wasn't even a full day into this and she was already exhausted.

A sharp knock at the door made her jump and she quickly turned on her heel, her hands grasping for the handle. That familiar knot was working its way around her stomach again and she squeezed her eyes shut as she bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from locking the door.

"Hey, Em?" Jax's silky voice came floating through the door. "You in there?"

Her eyes immediately flew open at the sound of his voice and then quickly shut them again as she ran a hand over her face. Of course he would show up now. Perfect fucking timing.

"Em?"

She blew out a deep breath and quickly flung the door open before she could stop herself only to be met with Jax's imposing, overwhelming figure as he leaned an arm against the doorframe. Her mood must've been written all over her face because Jax's eyes went from lazily content to confused to concerned in a matter of moments.

He frowned back at her as his arm slid back down to his side. "Everything alright?"

She nodded quickly, probably a little too quickly. "I'm fine."

The crease in his forehead only grew wider as he crouched down a little to meet her gaze. "You sure?"

She opened her mouth to respond but quickly shut it when Ima materialized behind Jax.

"Jax?" Ima screeched. "You got my message?"

He blinked back at her for a moment and to his credit, his eyes only drifted down to the center of Ima's dripping wet T-shirt once.

"What?" His forehead crunched up into a frown.

"You didn't get it...why are you..." Ima trailed off as her eyes shifted uneasily between both Jax and Emma. When her eyes landed on Emma for the third time, they narrowed dangerously.

"Look, Ima," Jax started abruptly, startling both women standing next to him. "I really gotta talk to Em about some things...isn't there somethin' you're supposed to be doin' right now, anyways?"

Ima opened her mouth, the color draining out of her face, and then she quickly snapped it shut again. Her glassy eyes darted back to Emma's confused face with an icy, malicious glint before turning on her heel and stomping back down the hall. Emma couldn't stop the relieved exhale that escaped her lips. It was almost gratifying, in a sick, twisted way, to see Jax dismiss Ima like that in favor of speaking with her. He didn't even seem to care that she had called him. Or like he had any intention of calling her later. That was giving her way too much satisfaction.

"So you ready to give me the good news or what?" Jax's voice brought her back to reality.

She sighed again. "Can we go outside and talk? I just need some air for a little while."

He frowned again and ran a hand over his gruff chin. "Alright. Let's get outta here then."

He waited patiently as she grabbed her notes and silently followed behind her as she walked briskly towards CaraCara's front door. She didn't need to look behind her to know he was following her a little too close for comfort. She could almost feel his breath on the back of her neck...but it was the way he smelled that affected her the most. One whiff of gasoline, grease, and something that was just distinctly _him _and she was 15 again and swooning until her knees went weak. It was a struggle not to allow herself to shiver uncontrollably. She definitely didn't want him to be aware of that.

When she pushed the door open and felt the warm, fresh sun on her face, she instantly felt better. It felt like she could breathe, like the weight of everything was suddenly lifted off her shoulders, and despite her sudden uneasiness around him, she was grateful to have him so close to her now. Inside CaraCara, his closeness had been terrifying, almost predatory-like—maybe it had something to do with their location—but now that they were out of that building, his presence seemed to wrap a calming, comforting aura around her. Everything seemed to fade into the background now that it was just the two of them. There was something...familiar...about the way they were standing next to each other, like it was natural for them to be only inches apart.

"So..." Jax started hesitantly, his piercing blue eyes never leaving hers. "I'd ask you how your first day is going but I think I already have an idea."

She laughed in spite of herself and just shrugged. "I'm just a little...overwhelmed, I guess. Nothing a little more experience can't cure. Anyways...I'm sure Bobby didn't fill in all the blanks for you so maybe we should just start with-"

"I don't need to know all those details," Jax cut in kindly, a soft expression in his eyes. "Look, I know you know what you're doing. No one is going to doubt what you've got going on here. All I really need to know is much more cash you need. That's what I have to sell to the club."

She frowned and laughed softly. "You came all the way out here for a number? Jax...I could've just called you or something...you didn't need to-"

"Don't worry about it," Jax cut in again with that lop-sided grin that was quickly making her toes curl inside her heels. "It's no big deal. So how about that number?"

"Ok," she asked again and shook her head. "We need another $20,000 for repackaging and reprinting of some 'classics'-my mom already found some unused material for all three titles we want to reissue that doesn't need any retouching so the only thing we really have to fund is the actual production and shipping."

He nodded quickly and rubbed his mouth in thought. "I think I should be able to swing that. I know the club can probably spare it. So how long do you think it'll take before the club will see that money again? They're gonna need to know that too because they agree to anything."

"Well," she began. "If that distribution deal works out, and I can't imagine why it won't, we should start seeing some real profit coming back in three, four months tops. They're also shooting something new right now and we can push that through faster—it's already in the budget anyways—and then that's more profit coming in. And the sooner the club signs off on this new loan, the sooner we can start the reprints, the sooner the club gets everything back and then some."

"Alright," Jax nodded with an impressed expression. "I think they should go for that. I'll take it to the table tonight and let you know as soon as I get the ok."

She nodded back to him with a small, weary smile and then exhaled, relieved that a potential solution was on the forefront. This entire day had just drained her and it wasn't even done yet.

"Hey," Jax reached out hesitantly as he spoke and gingerly grazed her arm with his fingers. "You sure you're ok?"

She couldn't stop herself from shivering under his light, startling touch. This small yet incredibly intimate gesture was so unexpected that she almost felt she'd been knocked sideways by the force of it.

But she didn't shy away and his fingers lingered on her skin as his eyes burned into hers. There was an almost electric charge between them, connecting them through a current that set her even more off-balance than she already was.

"I...uh...I'm fine, Jax." She could barely get the words out she was so distracted.

"You don't seem fine." His fingers slid down her arm and then fell back at his side, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. "You look tired...frustrated...sound about right?"

She blew out a breath. Shit, he was right. "Yeah...I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be as bad as it actually is, you know? And she was so excited to see me here today; you should've seen her, Jax. I mean, the only time lately I've seen her that happy, that hopeful, was whenever we've talked about this job."

"So what's the problem, Em?"

She blinked back at him for a moment. There was nothing condescending or patronizing in his tone. Just genuine concern. For a fleeting moment, she was taken back to that gut-wrenching night in the clubhouse when he had pulled her away from the image that would haunt her forever. When she was finally coherent enough to even realize who had practically carried her outside, she'd looked into his eyes and found a similar expression that reflected in them now, albeit not quite as amplified as that night at the clubhouse.

"I just..." she started shakily. "I guess this is a lot more...overwhelming than I prepared myself for. I knew some of this would be uncomfortable but I wasn't exactly counting on seeing girls running around with their nipples hanging out and all that shit. Maybe I should've prepared myself a little more... I can't even imagine what it's going to be like when I stumble across them actually filming something."

His face twisted up in a smirk and he shook his head. "Maybe you just need to stay in the office. The bathrooms aren't all that close to where they film anyways and then when it's time for lunch, you go out and get some space. Then you come back, do your job, and then you go home to that bat-shit crazy roommate of yours."

If only it were that simple...

"I'm not trying to say that this isn't gonna be hard," he said as if he could read her thoughts. "But I think, with some time, you'll be able to put that shit out of your head and get the job done. You're already doin' it, Em. You just need to keep goin'."

She didn't know how to respond to that. For probably the tenth time in his presence today, she was searching for words in vain.

His eyes were still fixed tightly on hers and his expression suddenly became unreadable. "Listen...if this is about any of those girls in there...don't listen to a fucking thing they say, ok? Some of them are nice, sure, but some of them are just trashy 'hos."

She knew he was not-so-sublety mentioning she who shall not be named. But before she even realized what she was saying, the stress and frustration of the day sent the words tumbling right out of her: "Which one is Ima?"

His expression darkened immediately. "She say somethin' to you?"

"It doesn't matter, Jax."

"Yeah, it does. She's not worth it, Em. Don't let her get under your skin."

She laughed bitterly and impulsively spat:"I guess you would know, right?"

His eyes widened and he reflexively winced at her low blow, causing him to take a defensive step back as he inhaled sharply.

"I'm sorry," she started, immediately regretting it. "I shouldn't have said that. It's none of my business and I just had an...unpleasant...encounter with her in the bathroom right before you got here and I think I'm still a little pissed about it. I didn't mean to take it out on you."

The pained expression still didn't leave his eyes even as her words lingered in the air. Guilt sent that all too familiar knot sliding back around her stomach and she wanted to kick herself in the shin for being so damn implusive.

"Nah," he said quietly, looking down at the ground for the first time since they'd stepped outside. "It's not a big deal."

They stood there in silence for a few now uncomfortable moments until he started to rock back and forth on his heels, causing her to glance up at him.

"Is that it, though?" He offered a hesitant smile as she watched him. "Ima? The movies? There's nothin' else?"

Part of her willed herself to say no, there wasn't anything else she was worried about. The porn, Ima—all that she could probably handle with time, just like he said. But it was something else that was making a bad situation even worse. And the part of her that knew, deep down, exactly what it was that was sending her spiraling towards a breakdown, that part of her couldn't stop the words from escaping her lips with a shaky breath.

"What if it doesn't work, Jax?"

He frowned and tilted his head to the side in thought. "What if what doesn't work?"

"What if we don't make the profit I think we will? What if we just lose more money and then the club pulls out the loan? What if they say no, Jax? What if I never get the chance to help her?" A wayward, traitorous tear slipped down her cheek as the words streamed out of her and she wiped it away furiously.

His hands were immediately covering her shoulders as he bent down to meet her eyes. "Hey, hey...everything will be fine. CaraCara isn't going to sink, I promise. Especially not when you're here now with all your killer, college-grad ideas. Everything is gonna go exactly the way you're thinkin' it will."

She exhaled shakily and wiped another tear from her cheek. But when she glanced back at CaraCara's looming entrance, the panic attack that had been lingering in the back of her subconscious all day was becoming more difficult to hold at bay.

"I mean," she wiped another tear with the back of her hand. "It's not like anything I said today was revolutionary...it's pretty standard, no-brainer business."

Her mother's face flashed through her mind when she'd first relayed this new plan to her. Luann had, at first, been escastic and overcome with gratitude that she had come up with something so quickly...and then that had quickly faded when it started to register just how quickly she had come up with a viable solution. It couldn't have been easy for her—her daughter coming in the first day on the job and pointing out all the ways she had mismanaged her own business. But wasn't that what Luann had wanted? Why else would she have asked her to work at CaraCara if not to give her some real, legitimate help? Of course, it hadn't helped when she'd offered to take a pay cut on her salary and Luann had flatly refused, staring back at her with an offended and wounded expression.

"Hey," Jax shook his head. "Don't sell yourself short...you're doin' a good thing here, Em."

"Why doesn't it feel like I am, then?" Another tear slipped down her cheek and she felt herself beginning to tremble as the growing panic seeped into her blood.

Jax's arms shot out immediately and pulled her into his arms. She allowed her head to fall into his shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of tears flowed down her cheeks. Being in his arms was a feeling she wasn't in a mindset to wrap her head around. When she was younger, she'd secretly fantasized what it might feel like, how rough his hands would be and would he run his hands through her hair? Would he pull her face back with those same rough, calloused hands and kiss her? But now that it was actually happening, she was too overwhelmed with everything else going on at the moment to really feel anything but comfort in his embrace. And maybe that's exactly what she needed anyways.

She sighed into his shoulder and then pulled back a little, lifting her body slightly away from him. He smiled down at her and whispered: "Please don't cry anymore, darlin'."

She nodded and forced a smile back at him. It was the least she could do. "Thanks, Jax. For everything...you didn't even have to come out here in the first place and then you have to deal with-"

"Don't worry about it, Em," he cut in softly. "You think you're alright to go back in there and kick some more ass?"

She blew out a quiet breath and nodded. "Yeah, I am. You should probably head back to the clubhouse, right?"

"Right," he smirked. "Got some business to take care of. I'll let you know as soon as the club decides one way or another...I wouldn't sweat over it, though, darlin'. We got this."

She knew he was just trying to reassure her but there was something in his voice that suggested maybe it wasn't as cut and dry as he was making it sound. They both knew there was still a good chance the club could vote it down and then CaraCara really would be sunk.

"Alright," she managed a soft smile. "Good luck. And thanks again, Jax...I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, darlin'. You'll let me know if you need anything else, right?" That lop-sided grin slid back onto his face as he sauntered over to where his bike sat waiting for him.

She couldn't help but grin back as she watched him expertly swing his leg over the side of his bike and snap his helmet on. "I will, Jax. Promise."

"Sounds good, Em. See ya."

"Bye."

She watched as he waved goodbye, revved his bike, and then wheeled out of the parking lot to head back into Charming. A lump rose up in her throat as he sped out of sight and she suddenly found herself wishing that he would come back. But they both had business to take of now and with one last glance back at his fading form, she turned on her heel with renewed resolve. She could make this work...even if it fucking killed her.

* * *

><p>As the road led him back to Charming and everything sped past him, Jax was grateful for some peace. The road had long been a solace for him and anytime he needed to clear his head, all he needed to do was rev up his bike and set out on the open road. It was just as calming to him as working on an engine, although both worked towards that end a little differently.<p>

But the closer he got to Charming, the more he realized just how urgent his business at the Redwood was. Even though they'd lost touch over the last few years, he'd always known Emma to be nothing short of calm, cool, and collected. So seeing her on the brink like that...he didn't know how to handle it. What he did know was that seeing her that way, seeing her fucking crying and shaking was something he never wanted to see again. His hands clenched the arms of his bike a little tighter at the thought. All the more reason to come through for her now.

He wasn't at all surprised that it wasn't easy for her to adjust to working at CaraCara. She just wasn't that type of girl and that certainly wasn't a bad thing. He knew she didn't really belong there but yet at the same time, there she was...doing everything in her power not to fail the woman who had failed her too many times to count. For all of Emma's misgivings and hesitations, she was nothing if not loyal. It wasn't like Luann really deserved Emma's loyalty anyways which made her commitment to her mother all the more admirable.

But he'd be lying to himself if he said he hadn't wished she'd decided not to take the job. There was something about her and Ima working under the same roof that didn't sit well with him. They were polar opposites really...and seeing them standing side by side earlier had only confirmed it. Emma, in her heels, skirt, and white button-up with the sleeves rolled up, couldn't have been in starker contrast to Ima's getup, which, even he had to admit was a little much. Ima didn't even really hold a candle to Emma. No contest.

Which, of course, made it all the more unnerving that Emma knew he'd been tapping Ima. He'd gotten too lazy to even bother with crow-eaters and knew Ima would always be ready for him at his beck and call. There was a part of him that was even disgusted with himself for letting it happen. Truth be told, he'd never really cared much about who the girl was or what they did for a living but it wasn't like he was going around bragging that he was banging a porn star. Something about it felt a little dirty, even for him...and that was saying a lot. So when Emma had stared back at him with those judgmental, frustrated blue eyes, he felt an uneasiness that hadn't been there for awhile.

He quickly shook those thoughts off as TM came into sight. Time to take care of business and get everything sorted out. He quickly parked his bike and had just gotten his helmet off when his mother shut the door to the office and ventured out into the parking lot purse in hand.

"Hey baby," Gemma smiled at him, putting her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun.

"Hey, Ma," he smiled back. "You goin' somewhere?"

"Just a few errands," she shrugged. "Where'd you take off to before?"

Here we go.

"I took a drive out to CaraCara—"

"Oh really." She spat, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. Shit…she didn't even give him a chance to explain. Par for the course with her.

"Jesus, Mom…why do you always have to jump to conclusions?"

"Because you're banging a porn star. Don't you think that's something I have an opinion about?" She stated bluntly.

When didn't she have a fucking opinion? That woman had zero idea how to mind her own damn business.

"Mom…" he started hesitantly. He wasn't looking for a fight right now. There were other things weighing on his mind that was more important than this particular shit.

"What? You gonna tell me I should mind my own damn business again? Don't you think it's time you cut ties with that bitch once and for all, Jackson?"

He blew out a breath and inwardly cursed her crazy psychic abilities. "I was gonna say that I went to CaraCara today to meet with Emma about business."

Gemma's eyebrows shot up. "Business?"

He nodded wearily. "Yes, business. Nothing else. She needs some money to get CaraCara goin' again."

"And she asked you for help."

"No, Bobby called me."

"So she asked Bobby to call you then."

"No," he sighed and ran a hand over his face in frustration. "Why are we goin' back and forth about this? I'm tryin' to help here and so is she."

Gemma sighed and smiled weakly as she put a hand on his shoulder. "I know, baby. I know…it's just…interesting…that it's only her first day and already you're making excuses to go over there."

"I'm not makin' excuses, Ma—I have to bring this to the club today."

"Right," Gemma tilted her head to the side as she spoke to better gauge his reaction. "But couldn't you have just called? Got the information you needed that way?"

"What are you getting' at here, Gemma?" The edge in his voice wasn't entirely intentional but he couldn't help it. He knew exactly what his mother was getting at and if he was being honest with himself, he knew she was right. It just pissed him off that she just took one look and knew.

"Nothing, baby." She finally answered.

He tucked some hair behind his ear and smiled back at her. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I am thinkin' about cuttin' Ima loose. The stage 5 clinger act got old pretty fuckin' quick."

Gemma laughed and put a hand on his cheek. "That does make me feel better. What finally pushed you over the edge?"

"I'm just sick of all her stupid voicemails."

"You sure it's not just because something better came back to town?"

His eyes narrowed dangerously at her words and her expression immediately jumped into apology mode. She clearly recognized that she'd overstepped.

"Hey," he started, quickly changing the subject. "You heard from my crazy ex-wife lately? I've been tryin' but she won't return any of my calls. I haven't seen a doctor bill in a little while too."

Gemma nodded, quickly mirroring his concern. "I'll stop over there today and see where she's at."

"Thanks, Ma. That means a lot." He murmured softly, knowing he was laying it on thick but needed her to just back off for awhile and let him handle his shit on his own. Besides, this would keep her preoccupied, if only for a little while.

His mother, unable to resist his charm, brightened immediately at his tone and knew she was forgiven for meddling. At this point in his life, he'd come to just expect it from her anyways. The woman was born to interfere, especially when it came to him. Of course, it was because she was his mother and, on some level, had earned the right to interfere but that didn't mean he appreciated it—that comment about Emma was just completely uncalled for and way off base.

He watched with weary eyes as his mother settled into her black Cadillac and then drove off. Hopefully, she'd have good news to report to him later...just like he hoped to have good news to report to Emma shortly. He honestly couldn't remember the last time Wendy had sent him a doctor bill let alone actually heard her voice on the phone. A deep, unsettling wave of uneasiness enveloped his stomach at the thought. No...nothing was wrong. She was fine. The kid was fine. His kid...he sighed and ran a hand over his face. Sooner or later, he was going to have to come to grips with that.

But not now. He had some immediate business that needed taking care of.

So when church concluded only over an hour later, he found himself sitting alone on a picnic table right outside the garage, puffing away anxiously on a cigarette. Church hadn't exactly gone the way he thought it would even though he'd expected some mixed reactions from the club, especially since they'd already flushed a good chunk of money down the drain on CaraCara. They'd all listened intently and respectfully as he brought them up to speed on Emma's new plan of action—with Bobby filling in the details—and then when he was done, he was met with silence as each member considered what he was asking.

"I don't know, bro," Tig, naturally, had been the first to speak. "I'm not sure I really feel comfortable floating Luann anymore cash...it's not like we haven't already went above and beyond."

"But this is different," Jax had reasoned cautiously. "Em's got her shit together. She'd never let me bring this to the table if she didn't think it would work."

"It's a killer plan." Bobby added with a nod.

"Now," Clay started after a slow pull on his cigar. "No one here is disputing that Emma's a smart girl—college-educated to boot. She knows her shit and we all know that. The question isn't whether or not this new business plan will work; the question is: how much money are we really willing to stick into this? Is it really worth our while? Besides, we keep giving one old lady cash and that sets a precedent. We're not a fuckin' bank either."

"Can we spare it, though?" Opie asked quietly.

Jax had felt immediately less on edge the moment Opie spoke. Someone needed to ask that question since it hadn't exactly panned out the way he thought it would.

"Well," Bobby started slowly. "We've got about $30K just lying around. Investing it wouldn't be so bad right about now."

Jax blew out a breath and glanced at Opie in frustration.

"So we can do it, then? I mean, we stand to make a lot of money of of this if we can work it out." Juice added.

When he began to see some head nodding at that last statement, he started to feel a little better.

"Right," Clay chewed on his cigar as he spoke. "But we float them the full $20K and we're potentially setting ourselve up in a tight situation. "

"Well, I say we float them half then and let Luann and Emma figure out the rest." Tig finally affirmed what everyone else seemed to be thinking.

And before he could even really aware of it, the words came spurting out. "I'll make up the difference."

"You sure about that, brother? That's a lot of money." Opie had stared at him wide-eyed.

He had just shrugged like it was no big deal, even though Emma's tear-stained, panic-stricken face kept flashing across his mind. "Yeah, I can handle that. Besides, I pay half, I get half the kickback, right?"

"Nah, brother..." Bobby was watching him carefully now. "You got a kid on the way, remember? I'll split it with ya."

That one had really thrown him off and he'd stared back at Bobby like he'd just sprouted two heads. Shit...maybe he did. Why would Bobby really care about this? If CaraCara went down, he'd miss out on his daily dose of 'pussy film'-as he called it—but that didn't seem like solid enough motivation to float a dying business $5000 that he might never see again.

He wasn't going to ruminate on his own motivations just yet.

But by the time he'd regained his bearings, the club was already voting and he'd somehow put down his own money to make it happen. Even now, as he lit another cigarette and leaned back on the picnic table, he still wasn't really sure how he'd gotten himself into this. Maybe it was something about the desperation he'd seen in Emma's eyes and his own inclination to never want to see that expression again. He had a feeling a nice, deep bottle of Jack could easily sort of this shit out. All in good time.

First things first: he had some good news to deliver.

He flipped open his prepay and scrolled through his contacts to find Emma's number. And just as he was about to hit 'send', his mother's number flashed across his screen as an incoming call. For a brief moment, he thought about just ignoring it and calling her back...he was so close to hearing the relief, joy, and excitement he was sure would be in Emma's voice as soon as he told her. Part of him almost wished he had enough balls to just jump on his bike and tell her in person. But he'd told her he'd call her when he knew and that was what he needed to do.

Gemma's number just kept flashing and as their last conversation echoed in his mind, he decided to answer.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"Jax?" There was something odd about her voice; something he wasn't used to hearing from his strong, tough as nails mother.

"Yeah? What is it, Mom?"

"You gottta get to the hospital, Jax. Wendy's having the baby right now...I found her passed out in the kitchen..."

All the air seemed to rush out of his lungs in one clean sweep. If he hadn't already been sitting, his knees probably would've collapsed on him. That dumb, fucking bitch...he knew he couldn't trust her. Something had gone wrong. His mother wouldn't sound so helpless, so desperate if it hadn't. His kid...his son...what was going to happen now?

"How bad is it, Mom?" He barely recognized his own voice.

"I don't know, Jax...I don't know. It's not good." She whispered back.

"I'm on my way."

He snapped the phone shut and sprinted to his bike, barely shouting out towards the clubhouse what was going on. As Opie and Clay raced to their bikes behind him, he could barely even see, let alone think straight. But he had to pull it together. He had to get to the fucking hospital.

So a heartbeat later, he revved the engine and sped towards the hospital. His mind seemed to go completely blank, unable to process what exactly might be there waiting for him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-**I hope you liked it. I tried to move things along without cramming too much into one chapter. I also realize that Emma's 'plan' may not be as entirely realistic as in this chapter but I did my best to come up with something as real as possible without having any experience in that (I also took my best guess on the numbers too).

So as I'm sure you've already figured out, this story is really going to be a slow burn between Jax and Emma. They're not just going to jump into bed-they've got too much history to do that. But this next chapter will be a massive leap forward in their relationship, especially on an emotional level, as they deal with Abel's birth and condition. The physical will take a little longer to get too.

I hope you enjoyed this (despite the wait) and I will have the next update up as soon as humanly possible. Please let me know what you thought! R/R!


	3. Abel

TRUE LOVE WAY

Chapter Three

The nursery still smelled like fresh paint and the soft, comforting blue on the walls did nothing to soothe him as he stumbled deeper inside, a half-empty bottle of Jack in hand. He kicked haphazardly at a wayward stuffed bear on the floor and slumped down on the futon that sat directly across from his son's crib. He shook his head as he took another swig from the bottle and resisted the urge to smash the entire fucking thing into the crib.

It loomed before him as a symbol of all his failures. Half-constructed. Half-finished. Just like this whole damn nursery too. Not even ready for the son who probably wasn't ever going to see the nursery anyways.

He hadn't made much of an effort to finish the crib. The one time he'd ever really started working on it was with Opie, who had helped him bring it over to his house from the store. But with Wendy hovering over them—just trying to 'help', she'd said—and that glimmer of hope in her eyes that they would somehow, miraculously be one big happy fucking family by the end of all this, he'd gotten overwhelmed by the weight of what all that meant and had abruptly left, with Opie following closely behind him.

He hadn't really adjusted to the idea of being a father. Sure, he'd told himself that he was warming up to it, that when the kid was finally here, he would finally be ready. But it hadn't worked out that way.

He wasn't ready to be a father. He didn't have the slightest idea what he was supposed to do here. And the worst fucking part of all this was that he probably wasn't even going to get the chance to figure it out.

The second he'd gotten to the hospital, he knew something was wrong. The frantic expression in his mother's eyes, the solemn, grim line set in the doctor's face...all signs pointed to disaster and heartbreak. He had prepared himself for his son to have the family flaw; Wendy's doctor had told them the genetic probability was likely and so he had expected that piece of news. But he hadn't expected the doctor to tell him that not only was his son 10 weeks premature and addicted to crank and not only did his son had a hole in his heart but a hole in his stomach too. And he was equally not prepared for the fact that his son had a 20% chance of even surviving the surgery needed to give him a fighting chance at having a life.

He'd stood there like a zombie, unable to process what was going on around him, barely feeling his mother's arms encircling him, barely able to hear Wendy's strung-out pleas for forgivness from the room in front of him. Everything just faded away and all that was left was that agonizing sinking feeling of dread settling in the pit of his stomach. So like the pussy he was, he fled.

In a rage, and probably a desperate need to just hit the shit out of something, he'd sped off to find Wendy's dealer at a local dive bar. He'd thought that pummeling the asshole for selling crank to his pregnant ex-wife would've made him feel a little better. Now, he needed to take another drink to dull both the ache in his hands and in his chest. His phone was buzzing constantly in his jeans and he realized he'd lost track of how long he'd been sitting there. Instead of just ignoring it, he pulled it out of his pants, switched it to silent, and tossed it carelessly onto the carpet.

And as he looked around the half-finished nursery, the rage building up inside him began to boil over. There were piles of baby clothes sitting on the dresser next to him that still needed to be put in their proper place, bags full of toys, pacifiers, and other things that babies needed that he probably would have no idea what he was supposed to do with them.

"It doesn't matter anyways," he whispered bitterly. "Nothing fucking matters anymore."

He couldn't take it anymore.

As he took another swig from the now almost completely empty bottle of Jack, he stood on shaky legs to stumble over the crib. A split second later, the bottle was sent crashing to the floor as he began to kick the wooden pegs holding the crib in place. He just kept kicking, with reckless, desperate abandon until it was a crumbled mess on the ground next to him. But he just kept going. The piles of clothes, stuffed animals, bottles, and pacifers flew across the room as he flipped the dresser onto the floor. He just kept kicking and throwing anything he could get his hands on until he was standing in the middle of the trashed room, chest heaving and eyes watering.

But the tears never came. He couldn't let that happen just yet. Then this would really be reality. So instead of ruminating on the night's events any further, he stumbled into the kitchen to find another bottle of anything. Then, after throwing the cap onto the floor, he stumbled back into the nursery for more self-inflicted torture.

* * *

><p>Emma pushed through the apartment door with a weary sigh. The day was finally over but she still hadn't heard how church had went down from Jax. Maybe it hadn't happened yet. Or maybe the club was debating it right now. Either way, it was out of her hands now and all she could do was wait. She'd barely gotten her shoes off and thrown her bag on the floor when Dawn appeared in the hallway. It wasn't unusual to see her with her phone glued to her ear. It was, however, unusual to see the ashen, horrified expression on her face.<p>

She frowned and dared to take a step closer. "What's wrong?"

Dawn just bit her lip and held the phone out to her. "It's your mom on the phone, Em. She's been trying to get a hold of you."

Shit, her phone had been trapped in her purse for the majority of her ride home and hadn't heard it. Panic started to envelope her brain as a million scenarios flashed through her mind. With shaky fingers, she took the phone from Dawn.

"Mom?" She whispered slowly into the phone.

"Em! I'm at the hospital right now with Gemma. Wendy had the baby and..."

"What?" She interrupted hoarsely. This was not what she had been expecting.

"The doctor said he has a 20% chance of surviving, Em...he has a hole in his heart and in his stomach. He's addicted to crank, Em." Luann's voice cracked over the phone and she felt her heart shatter inside her chest.

"What?"

"It's bad, Em. It's really bad. I'm here with Gemma right now but I wanted to tell you."

She nodded into the phone. "Thanks, Mom. How's Jax doing?"

Luann sighed into the phone. "He's not here."

She frowned and she could've sworn she heard Gemma's angry voice in the background even though she couldn't really make out what she'd said. "What do you mean he's not there? Where is he?"

Luann sighed again. "He was here before but he hasn't been back since. No one has been able to...wait, here, Gemma wants to talk to you."

There was a little shuffling and muffled noises until Gemma's voice came into her ear. "Hey, sweetheart. I'm glad your mom was able to get a hold of you."

"I'm sorry this is happening, Gemma...I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now."

"Thanks, Emma. They're taking my grandson into surgery soon and my stupid, shit for brains son is nowhere to be found."

"He just up and left?"

"Yeah," Gemma laughed bitterly. "Got the bad news and the son of a bitch bailed. He's not answering his phone, he's not letting anyone into his house...I guess I just have to hope and pray that he snaps out of it before any decisions have to be made...shit."

She heard Gemma take a sharp intake of breath and then her mother murmuring something to her softly.

"Gemma...everything's gonna be alright. Jax will come around...I'm sure he's just a little freaked out right now." She wasn't sure she even believed herself. If Jax didn't want to be found then there was no way he was going to be talked into something he wasn't ready to do. Even if it was motivated by selfishness and immaturity.

"Thanks, Em. That's sweet of you to say but I have a feeling Jax is going to be MIA for a little while longer."

She sighed. "Dawn and I will be there as soon as we can."

"Thanks, sweetheart. That means a lot."

She blew out a deep breath as she hit the end button and handed the phone back to Dawn.

"Well, we should get going, right?" Dawn was watching her with an expectant expression.

"Yeah..." she replied distractedly. Her thoughts just kept shifting back to Jax. Sure, she was pissed as hell that Jax was negating his responsibilities at the hospital but there was an overwhelming part of her that was overcome with worry and concern. She could only imagine what was going through Jax's head right now and given his newborn son's prognosis, part of her couldn't really blame him for locking himself inside his house.

She wordlessly followed Dawn to her car and let Dawn drive them towards the hospital, her thoughts still swimming with thoughts of Jax and a newborn baby that might not even have a chance to see tomorrow. She rubbed her face with the sheer weight of the situation and with her heart pounding uncontrollably in her chest, she realized just how close they were to Jax's house. If they just turned at the next right, they would be right there.

And then the words were tumbling out before she could stop them: "Dawn, take the next right!"

Dawn's neck snapped around to face her. "What? To Jax's house?"

"Yeah...just do it, Dawn."

Dawn gripped the steering wheel a little bit tighter and shook her head. "What are you doin' here, Em? He hasn't been answering his phone...Juice told me all the guys were over there twice already and he won't let anyone in."

"I just want to make sure he's alright."

"You really think he's going to just let you in?" Dawn's eyes widened.

"I don't know...probably not."

"Then why don't we just go to the hospital?"

She just shook her head and gestured to the right with her head. "Come on, Dawn. It'll take two seconds...I'll knock on the door, look around a little to make sure he's alive and then we 'll go."

"You're playin' with fire, Em." Dawn muttered under her breath.

She pretended not to have heard that little comment because she could only concentrate on so many things at once. Instead of replying, she just focused her attention back on the scenery ahead of them and couldn't stop her leg from jumping in nervousness when Jax's house came into sight.

Dawn had barely pulled into the driveway when she swung the door open. A quick survey of the area in front of her told her that Jax was, indeed, inside. His bike was parked in the driveway and there was a light on in one of the rooms. The rest of the house seemed to be completely dark which made her even more nervous than she already was. She had no idea what she was going to find here, of course, if he even decided to let her inside.

Well, it was now or never.

She quickly trotted up the steps to the doorway and knocked on the door before her nerves could stop her. With a glance back at Dawn's exasperated face, she waited a few beats and then knocked again. When there was still no movement inside the house, she began to pound a little harder.

"Jax...it's Emma. Will you let me in please?" She called as the anxiousness settling in her chest began to accelerate.

Still nothing. No movement. No noise. Nothing.

"Maybe he's not here, Em." Dawn offered quietly behind her.

"His bike's in the driveway, Dawn. He's here." And he was going to let her the fuck in.

With renewed determination, she jumped down onto the walkway and over to the window where there was some light. She reached up on her tiptoes and peered into the window, almost losing her balance at what she saw. Jax was sitting on the floor, an empty bottle of Jack next to him, and he was engulfed in the destruction of the entire nursery. She couldn't quite see the extent of the damage but she'd seen enough to know that now, more than ever, she needed to get inside.

She knocked on the window to get his attention. A few moments later and he still hadn't turned his head to acknowledge her presence. So she knocked again. And again. And again until his head finally moved slightly to the left. His eyes widened as he seemed to realize that she really was there. They sat there for a few moments, both unmoving, both staring. He looked so haggard...like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and it was his eyes that affected her the most...they just looked so haunted, almost sunk completely into his face. He was clearly drunk but the haziness didn't supercede the pain and anguish burning in his eyes.

She didn't know how long they'd stared at each other through the window but the trance was broken when Jax slowly pulled himself up on wobbly legs and disappeared into the hallway.

"Shit," Dawn murmured.

But Emma barely even heard her. She just moved closer to the door and braced herself, not quite allowing herself to believe just yet that Jax might actually let her in. But a moment later, the front door swung open to reveal a red-eyed, weary, and drunk Jax.

She swallowed and she felt the worry she'd been battling flare up again at the sight of him. She supposed it could be worse. He could be swearing at her right now, telling her to mind her own business, and to get the hell off his property. Or he could've just ignored her completely. But now, he was just staring back at her again with wide, glassy eyes that pulled her in closer to the door and to where he was standing.

"Is it alright if I come in?" She asked quietly.

He didn't reply. He just nodded and then he was gone, disappearing back into the darkness inside his house.

"Emma, maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe you should just leave him alone for a little while...he doesn't look so good." Dawn was pleading behind her.

"I can't just leave him here like this..." she trailed off as she glanced inside the dark house.

"Yeah but...this isn't your job, Em. You don't have to do this. I know you want to make sure he's ok but you're not..."

"I'm not what?" She cocked an eyebrow at her to dare her to say the word. She knew what Dawn was going to say. She wasn't Jax's old lady, she wasn't sleeping with him, and she wasn't technically family. But she was still his friend. And she couldn't leave until she knew that he would survive this night in one piece. The sight of that empty bottle at his side and the destroyed nursery was enough to let her know that he couldn't be trusted in this house by himself.

"Look," Dawn blew out a frustrated breath. "If you wanna stay, stay. But just know that you're stepping into some seriously uncharted territory here."

"Yeah, well, I don't really care right now. Will you let me know when he goes into surgery? Let me know how everything goes? I'll still probably be here..."

Dawn sighed and ran a hand over her face. "Fine. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything."

She watched as Dawn got back into her car and drove off, leaving her alone with whatever was waiting for her inside the house. With a deep breath, she stepped cautiously into the house and quickly flipped on the closest light she could find. The living room literally looked like a tornado had whipped through it...there were clothes strewn all over the couch, filthy, moldy dishes stacked high on the end tables and coffee table in front of the TV, and piles and piles of smelly trash that she couldn't quite figure out what it even was. Shit...well, no one ever said Wendy was responsible. Or clean.

Shaking her head at the sight, she turned to make her way down the hallway and into the dimly lit nursery. Her heart sank as Jax came into clearer view, surrounded by the remnants of his son's nursery. Tears welled up in her eyes but she quickly swallowed them down...she had to be strong now. She couldn't let him see her cry now, not here...she could save her tears for when she was alone.

His eyes barely seemed to register that she was in the room and so she quickly closed the distance between them to crouch down by him. When they were face to face, he blinked a few times as his head lobbed back a little, like he was trying to get a better look at her. Her arm slowly extended until it was resting carefully on his shoulder and the touch made him jerk violently.

She was on her knees now and put both hands on his shoulders to steady him. His eyes were burning into hers and his breathing was ragged, coming in and out in short spurts. Then, he was pushing her hands away and struggling to get up to his feet. Quickly realizing what was happening, she jumped up to help steady him and wrapped an arm firmly around his waist to keep him on his feet. They ambled awkwardly to the hallway, Jax keeping one arm around her shoulders and the other against the wall to keep himself upright until they reached the bathroom.

In a flash, his body shot out from underneath her grip and his head was in the toilet bowl as he emptied his stomach inside it. She leaned over him and rubbed his back soothingly with one hand while the other tried to keep as much of his hair out of his face as she could. When the heaving finally stopped, he slumped down next to the toilet with his head in his hands. She watched helplessly as he rubbed his eyes and finally knocked his head back into the wall behind him.

She was about to ask him if he was alright now...but knew that would be a poor choice in words. He wasn't going to be alright for a long time, especially if his son's surgery ended the way everyone was praying it wouldn't. So instead, she went into the kitchen to get him a glass of water.

By the time she was back in the bathroom, Jax had managed to get on his feet and was leaning against the sink with both hands. He wordlessly took the glass from her and swallowed the water down in several gulps. As he set the glass down on the counter, he ran a shaking hand through his hair.

"Were you at the hospital?"

His hoarse, trembling voice scared the shit out of her. It wasn't so much that he had finally spoken but the way his voice sounded that made her jump out of her skin. This wasn't the Jax she knew. There was no confidence. No swagger. No cockiness. Just stripped bare...almost like he had nothing left.

She swallowed and shook her head. "Dawn and I were on our way to see him...and then we stopped here."

He nodded slowly, chewing on his bottom lip. "Did my mom tell you to come here?"

"No...I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

He nodded again, his eyes never leaving hers. "His name is Abel."

"That's a good name."

He swallowed and blew out a deep breath as he started back into the hallway. She didn't want to push him any further and so she just followed him back into the nursery. He threw his body down on the futon and propped an arm over his face, his chest still rising up and down at a violent pace. When it seemed like he had drifted off to sleep, she sighed and ran a hand over her face. Needing some space for a little while, she went back into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Just the sight of the dirty floor below her made her grateful she had kept her shoes on.

Her phone was buzzing loudly in her purse and she begrudgingly took it out to see that she'd already had four missed calls and that her mother was currently the one calling her.

"Hello?"

"Em? Are you ok?" Her mother's worried voice rang out into her ear.

She sighed and ran a tired hand over her face. "Yeah, mom. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Dawn said Jax didn't look good and then you weren't answering your phone..."

"I'm fine." She cut in sharply, not needing this shit right now. "Jax is drunk and he threw up a little while ago. Now he's sleeping. Everything is fine."

"Ok," Luann replied cautiously. "So...how long are you going to be there?"

"I don't know," she realized she hadn't really thought about that part. "I guess until he's feeling better. I don't really feel comfortable leaving him here by himself right now."

"Alright...well, if you need someone to come help you, just let us know. Gemma can get one of the prospects or Opie or somebody over there if you need it."

"No...it's fine." She had a feeling Jax wouldn't appreciate a house full of people right now. It was probably best if everyone just left him alone right now and let him make the decision once he was feeling a little more like himself again.

"Ok, well, call me if you need anything."

"Bye, mom."

She hit the end button and threw her phone back into her purse. The silence in the house was making her feel a little agitated so she quickly got up and headed back into the nursery before she could change her mind. Jax was still lying right where she'd left him, his arm still flung across his eyes, still unmoving...almost like his entire body had just shut off on him. For a moment, she watched him carefully to make sure he was still breathing. When she saw his chest rise up and down in succession enough to appease her worries, she blew out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Now, looking around the nursery, her heart sank once again at the sight. It was a disaster area. And then something just snapped in her and she was on the ground, gathering up the piles of clothes, toys, books, and stuffed animals that were strewn around the floor. She didn't know how long she sat there, folding piles of clothes, when she heard his cracking voice in the background:

"Don't bother...it doesn't matter anyways."

Her eyes flew to Jax, who was staring intently at her from the futon. Her eyes narrowed and she almost flung the stuffed animal she was holding right in his face.

"Jax..." she started uneasily.

"What," he laughed bitterly, rising up from the couch into a sitting position as he spoke. "You're gonna say he's gonna be alright now, right? That everything will be fine and he'll make it through the surgery and have a nice, long, healthy life, right? Fuck that...this is all bullshit. He's gonna die."

She watched in disbelief as he kicked one of the piles she had just folded and then the stuffed animal launched out of her hands to hit him square in the face. He blinked back at her in shock and before she could stop herself, she grabbed another and chucked it at him again. He easily blocked the blow and just stared back at her, daring her to do something, anything.

She sat on the ground below him and as the rage in her build out, the words tumbled out her. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Jax?"

"What's wrong with me?" He laughed as he ran a hand through his tangled hair. "Really?"

"You're being a selfish asshole right now."

He went rigid at her words and seemed frozen in place on the futon in front of her. When he still didn't respond to her, she figured she might as well keep going and say everything that he didn't want to hear.

"You're sitting here...drunk off your ass, puking in the fucking toilet, when you should be at the hospital right now. What if Abel's in surgery right now? What if he's lying there on the table and you're not there? You're the only real family he has and don't tell me your mom is at the hospital so it's ok. You know that's not the same thing. You're his fucking father and you can't even gather up enough balls to show up for your son. That's all you have to do, Jax...all you have to do is be there. Be there and pray that he makes it and you can't even do that."

In her anger, she stood up in front him and shoved him roughly in the chest. He fell back against the back of the futon and sat there motionless, just staring at her with those wide, sunken blue eyes that she knew would be forever seared into her memory. And it was those eyes that propelled her to sink down next to him.

When he turned to face her, his eyes were watering with fresh tears that threatened to slip down his cheeks. She reflexively pulled him into her arms and closed her eyes when she felt his arms wrap around her waist and pull her closer. His head fell into the crook of her shoulder and she shuddered slightly at the wetness that spread into her neck. His body shook violently and he squeezed her tighter as her hands went into his hair to soothe him.

When he finally brought his face back up to meet hers, she swallowed helplessly at the desperate, guilt-ridden expression written on his features. She reached up with a shaky hand and brushed a few wayward tears from his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Em." He whispered hoarsely.

She just nodded and all the breath left her body when he pulled her back closer to him, wrapping both arms more tightly around her than had been before. There really wasn't anything she could say now. The situation spoke for itself. So she just resigned herself to what she could do for now.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Emma's eyes fluttered open to the sound of distant knocking and it took her a moment to realize where she was. She blinked once and then again as the room came into focus. Everything was really just as she left it when she'd drifted off to sleep. And then her mind began to slowly register the weight of Jax's arm flung around her waist and she knew it was time to go answer the door.<p>

After carefully sliding out from under his arm, she quickly straightened her clothes and left the room, allowing herself one backwards glance at Jax's sleeping form. Thankfully, he hadn't stirred when she'd gotten up from the futon and she was beyond grateful that he finally looked peaceful as he rested.

A few moments later, she swung the door open to tired, red-eyed Gemma.

"Hi Gemma." She whispered softly.

"Hey sweetheart," Gemma replied with an exhausted expression. She'd half-expected Gemma to immediately go on the assault...she was most likely going to have to answer for her actions with Jax tonight and Gemma was going to be the first to attack. But she was relieved when Gemma just snuck past her and into the house.

"Abel made it through surgery. The doctors said that's a really good sign." Gemma was saying now, the light seeming to go come into her eyes as she spoke.

She exhaled with relief and smiled. "I knew he would. That's fantastic news."

"Yes it is." Gemma nodded wearily as she took in the condition of the house. "Shit...this place could pass for a fuckin' crime scene. Jesus Christ, how could anyone spend two minutes in this house without wanting to vomit?"

Emma smiled. "I was thinking the same thing when I got here earlier."

Gemma's eyes flew to the hallway to look for Jax. "Where is he?"

She sighed and glanced back at the nursery door. "He's sleeping. Been out for about an hour now."

Gemma nodded and perched a hand on her hip. "How's he doin'? Dawn said he was drunk when you two got here before."

"He's better now, I think. I've just...I've never seen him like this before."

Gemma nodded and rubbed her temples with one hand. "Yeah, well, times get tough and Jax flies out of there like a pussy out of hell. I didn't raise him that way."

"I know, Gemma." She didn't know what else to say. Gemma was right. Jax needed to man up and deal with this situation and all she could do was hope that his breakdown earlier was really the breakthrough he needed to push through the threshold into true adulthood.

"I'm glad you were here though," Gemma was saying softly now. "The last thing he needed was to be here alone."

"I just wanted to make sure he was alright."

Gemma nodded slowly as she appraised her with her hawk-like eyes. "What did you say to him anyways?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"To get inside the house? What did you say?"

She just shrugged, not sure she liked where this line of questioning was going. "I just asked if I could come in."

Gemma's eyebrows rose as she chuckled. "And he just opened the door for you, huh? Just like that...wow...he wouldn't answer his phone for anyone, wouldn't let any of his brothers in his house, but you show up and suddenly you're inside. You must have some serious powers of persuasion."

She frowned again and wasn't sure what Gemma was doing here. Was Gemma angry with her? Was she just frustrated with her son and was taking it out on her? Was she just trying to make light of this shitty situation? She had no idea...but she'd learned from experience that Gemma was as unpredictable as her mother was unreliable.

"I'm not angry with you, sweetheart," Gemma murmured softly. "I'm just trying to figure all this out."

She didn't know how to respond to that so she just nodded. She had no idea what Gemma was trying to figure out. It seemed pretty cut and dry to her: Jax needed a friend to be there with him tonight and she just happened to be that friend. End of story.

* * *

><p>Jax's eyes flickered open at the sound of hushed voices coming from his living room. He blinked a few times and stared down at the space in front of him. Emma had been there, hadn't she? He couldn't figure out if she had really been lying next to him or if it was all just some twisted dream. Maybe it was better if this all just a sick, fucking nightmare. But then he glanced around the room and suddenly went cold, fighting the urge to shiver at the sight. The crib was still in shambles and the room was still trashed. Abel was still in critical condition and his life was still hanging in the balance, along with his own fucking sanity.<p>

Only a few piles of folded clothes remained as evidence that Emma had ever been there. And the lingering sensation in the arm that had been wrapped securely around her waist. He had no idea what had possessed her to make that pitstop on the way to the hospital but he would be eternally grateful for it. He wasn't sure what state he'd be in right now if she hadn't. He'd probably have drunk himself into a coma. Or at the very least, in the emergency room getting his stomach pumped.

But it wasn't just the drinking she'd put an end to. He'd been wallowing in self-pity the second he'd stumbled into the nursery and with several stern and pointed words, she'd brought him back down to the harsh reality before him. He wanted to believe that if anyone else had said it to him, his mother, Clay, even Opie, that he would've had the same reaction. But he knew that wasn't true. Anyone else would've been met with his fist or at the very least, especially if it was his mother, some very choice, heated words and a door slammed in their face. But it was her. And the second he'd gotten a clear look at her face and been pulled in by the same wide, sincere, and worried blues eyes that had brought him back to earth before, everything seemed to finally slow down.

And just like she had at his father's funeral and after Tara's exit, she'd given him permission to let go. He'd immediately felt like his demons had been exorcised as the tears poured out of him and onto her shoulder. She was the only person he'd ever cried in front of before. His own mother didn't even have that distinction.

And it was her presence, her strength, that he needed to gravitate towards now.

As he ambled slowly to the doorway, the voices became a little more focused and he realized that Emma was talking to his mother. Shit...just what he needed. The wrath of Gemma raining down on him as if he wasn't already in the shit enough. As if he didn't already feel guilty enough to last him a fucking lifetime.

He'd let everyone down and he could only pray that his brothers would be able to understand why he'd stayed away from the hospital for so long. And sometime, he hoped he would be able to explain this to his son, that he would be able to tell him how scared he was, how much he loved him, how happy he was that his son was sitting there with him, listening to the story of how much of a dumbass his old man was the day he was born. Yeah...it was going to happen. Abel was going to survive. He had to. There couldn't be any other ending to this story.

So with a heavy sigh, he opened the door and walked out into the hallway, now ready to face whatever was waiting in there for him.

His mother and Emma's expression immediately flickered between surprise and relief. And when his mother's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, he was instantly grateful that he didn't have to face her alone.

Instead of giving Gemma the opportunity to pounce on him for being a pussy and a contender for worst father of the year—albeit true—he decided it was best to put that on hold for later and focus on the more pertinent matter.

"How's Abel doin', Mom?" He asked hoarsely, barely recognizing the sound of his own voice.

Her expression softened and she stepped forward to lay her hand on his cheek. "He made it through surgery, Jax. The doctors think he's gonna be alright now. If he can make it through that...he's a tough little man, that's for sure."

Her words barely registered in his brain and he felt frozen to the floor for a moment. All the tension, all the anxiety, all the frustration he'd been holding in the past few hours had been building up to this moment and when he looked anxiously to Emma, who nodded with a small smile, he got the reassurance he needed that this was, in fact, true.

"He's gonna be alright?"

Gemma smiled and moved her hand to his shoulder, squeezing it softly. "The doctor told me he's not completely out of the woods yet but I think he's gonna be ok, baby."

"Can we see him?" That was all he wanted to do right now. He had to see this for himself.

His mother's face brought out into a wide grin and she reached out to pull him into a tight embrace. "Of course we can. We all can. Go get yourself cleaned up and we'll go right now."

That was all he needed to hear. He high-tailed into the bedroom, barely even noticing Wendy's clothes strewn haphazardly all over the place and tore through the dresser for any of his clothes that still remained in the room. He threw on the one clean T-shirt he could find and slid his cut back on, finally beginning to look and feel more like himself. The alcohol wasn't completely out of his system and he was mentally kicking himself in the balls for putting himself in this situation. He didn't want to meet his son for the first time smelling like whiskey but he couldn't wait any longer.

"You alright to take your bike, Jax?" Gemma called out from the living room.

Shit...he'd had way too much to even think that would be a good idea.

"Nah, you better drive us, Mom." He called back as he met them back in the living room.

His mother nodded approvingly, probably surprised at this new display of responsibility. Truthfully, the last thing he needed at this point was a fucking DUI on his way to the hospital. Emma was watching him carefully but there was something else in her eyes that he couldn't quite place. He wanted to tell her that he wasn't about to let anyone, especially her and his son, down again. But those words never came. Maybe it was his blood-alcohol level, maybe he was just fucked in the head right now...but he felt the urge to reach out and pull her to him. He just wanted to feel her in his arms again, to remind himself that it hadn't been a dream before, that she had really been there and she had really pulled him back from the brink. He would find a way to thank her and he would find a way to prove to her that this shit was never happening again.

"You ready?" His mother was watching him with expectant eyes and a slight glimmer of pride.

His mouth curved up into a confident smile. Yes, finally. He was ready.

* * *

><p>When they finally pulled up to the hospital, Emma could barely contain her pounding heart. She watched with amusement as Jax was already jumping out of Gemma's Cadillac before she'd even had a chance to come to a complete stop and was currently jogging up to the entrance way.<p>

Gemma just laughed and shook her head as she watched her son sneak through the sliding doors.

"I'm glad he's back to his old self again." Emma breathed out with relief.

Gemma nodded with a happy grin. "You're telling me. That son of a bitch scared the shit out of me for a while there."

She could only nod in response. She wasn't sure she could even put into words just how much Jax had scared her tonight. Part of her felt like she was going to need a nice, cold drink when she finally got back to the apartment later after all this. But then again, she knew she'd have to answer to Dawn and knew that she would not take being ignored lightly.

"You know," Gemma was saying now as they walked up to the entrance. "I'm glad everything worked out with the club and CaraCara...I know how much you want to help your mom out."

She was still reeling from the news Jax had dropped on their way to the hospital, that the club had voted to float them the money needed to keep CaraCara going a little bit longer...because now, more than ever, Luann's business problems were going to her business problems too. And as much as she'd wanted the club to come through for them, she knew that she had a mountain of paperwork and hours upon hours waiting for her as soon as she got back to CaraCara. But still, someone had to do it.

"And if your mom won't say it," Gemma continued. "Then I will...you're saving her ass, sweetheart. I don't think you know how much that means to her."

"I know, Gemma...she's trying. I'm trying. I'm just hoping it doesn't blow up in our faces."

"You and me both." Gemma replied with a sad smile.

When they got to NICU room that Abel was recovering in, Jax was already there, hovering over the incubator with his hands splayed out over the glass as he peered down at the tiny baby inside. She swallowed and pushed down the rising tears in her eyes. She couldn't cry...not yet. But as she gazed at Jax's hunched over figure in the room in front of them, she couldn't stop the stray tear that slipped down her cheek.

She turned to Gemma, whose eyes were shining with unshed tears and stiffened when Gemma placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't you go in the room, sweetheart?"

She frowned and shook her head. It wasn't her place...she wasn't Abel's mother and she wasn't anything to Jax other than a friend. She had no business going in there now and stepping on this first moment between father and son. Jax belonged there...and she was relieved beyond words that he had stepped up and listened when she'd gone off on him earlier. This was where he needed to be everyday until he was able to take his son home. But that didn't mean she needed to in that room with him now.

"I shouldn't go in there, Gemma..." she trailed off as her eyes flew back to Jax's back, his reaper cut seeming so out of place in that room.

"You're already in there with him, Emma."

She felt frozen in place at Gemma's words and it seemed like the frown on her face was going to be permanently etched there. There was no malice in Gemma's tone, no hesitation, no envy, no bitterness...just simple, honest truth. She didn't know what to do with this truth. And after the night's events, she was too mentally and physcially drained to even make an attempt. But something was pulling her inside, something she wasn't ready to deal with yet, but it was pulling nonetheless.

So before she could hesitate or question what was happening, she wordlessly entered the room and walked up behind Jax, feeling like her entire body was moving in slow motion, save for her heart thundering in her chest. His head turned at her approach and the look in his eyes made her blow out a shaky breath. His arm rose and wrapped itself around her shoulders to pull her in closer to him as she approached the incubator.

Inside was the smallest, most gorgeous baby she'd ever seen. Abel was staring intently up at them and her heart swelled as she took in Jax's blue eyes mirrored back at her from his son. His tiny hand fisted up in the air, like he was reaching for something and he abruptly yawned, his eyes fluttering shut and making Jax chuckle softly next to her.

"Hey, Abel." She whispered softly as she reached out to place her hand on the glass incasing him.

She turned her head to meet Jax's blazing eyes head-on and she somehow suppressed a shiver. His eyes were burning into her and the arm around her shoulders slipped down until she felt his fingers intertwine with hers.

"He's perfect, Jax." She exhaled, forcing herself to pry her gaze away from him and back on Abel, who eyes had flicked back open.

She watched as he yawned again but his bright blue eyes were trained on her and she felt another kind of pulling that she couldn't quite place...coupled with the sensation of Jax's hot fingers on hers and the overwhelming feeling of taking in the sight of a newborn who'd just survived life and death surgery, something shifted in her. And she knew, as her heart continued its erratic thumping in her chest, that she'd be feeling the after-effects of that shift for a long time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-**So Abel's officially here and this chapter marked a significant shift in Jax and Emma's relationship (even though, yes, it's going to take them awhile to realize/accept what's going on between them and for things to get, um, physical). The next chapter will be a little bit lighter and will also introduce some conflict from outside forces that will draw Jax and Emma closer-and probably just confuse them both a little bit more in the process. Things are about to heat up!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you think! Reviews definitely keep me going and they definitely propel me to write more often! R/R!


	4. The June Show

**A/N-**Okay, I know I said this chapter was going to be lighter but it didn't exactly happen that way. Thank you to everyone who reviewed or put this story on their alerts-it means so much to know you guys are having as much fun with this as I am. Enjoy!

* * *

><p>TRUE LOVE WAY<p>

Chapter Four

Emma turned over in her bed and yawned, catching a bleary glance of the alarm clock sitting on her nightstand. Almost 7:00. Plenty of time to get some coffee, shower, grab a bagel on her way, out and still have plenty of time to spare to get to the office nice and early. This had quickly become a habit for her ever since CaraCara's new business plan had officially been picked up by their 'investors'-and she'd completely thrown herself into making it work. With a tired exhale, she tossed her blanket off to the side and yawned again as she padded out towards the kitchen.

7:03. Still plenty of time.

As she knelt down to grab a filter from one of the bottom shelves, she heard some shuffling behind her. When she heard the refrigerator open, she turned her head only to see Juice chugging some milk and waving at her...which would've been fine if he had been wearing more than just white boxer briefs.

"Morning, Emma." He grinned at her before taking another gulp of milk.

"Hey, Juice..." she waved back awkwardly and fought the urge to shield her eyes. "Um...do you maybe think you could, I don't know...throw on a pair of shorts next time?"

Juice looked down at his attire and shrugged good-naturedly. "Sure...sorry, I didn't know you were out here...I'll, uh, remember that next time. Don't wanna scare ya."

He winked at her playfully and she grimaced, shaking her head even though it was hard to stop the smile creeping onto her face. Awkward encounters aside, she didn't mind Juice hanging around-even though she had heard some things the night before that she wished she hadn't—and even if their relationship was still underwraps so Tig didn't beat Juice to a bloody pulp, her best friend was happy. And Dawn was nothing but diligent in getting what she wanted. Besides, she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen that glow in Dawn, that illumination raditating from her eyes and her cheeks and she even carried herself differently, almost like she was walking on air...so in light of that, Juice's presence in their apartment was quickly becoming easier and easier to tolerate.

Juice put the cap back on the milk and closed the refrigerator before waving to her with a wide, self-satisfied grin. "You know, you ladies have a pretty nice set-up here. Could use a bigger TV though."

"Oh yeah?" She cocked an eyebrow at him, willing to play his game just for the hell of it. "Feel free to bring one over one of these days...it's not like you aren't here enough, you know..."

He froze for a moment, like he was trying to figure out if this was an appropriate joke or not, and then, a beat later, a lazy grin spread across his features. It wasn't difficult to see why Dawn was so crazy about him.

"Well," he was saying now. "Maybe I could hook you up if you're really, really nice to me."

"I think I'll let Dawn handle that one then."

"Probably for the best, huh?"

She just chuckled and rolled her eyes at him as he threw another good-natured grin her way and backed out of the kitchen, hands up in mock-defense. If anything, she was just grateful that they got along...this situation would be a hell of a lot worse if he was a douchebag. When she heard Dawn's bedroom door shut behind him and some muffled noises, she decided it was time to get her ass moving.

About an hour later, she was sitting in the office and as she took another sip from her coffee cup, she did a quick run-through of the day's schedule, including a conference call with one of their distributors and it was shaping up to be a pretty full day before it even really started. It was amazing...only a few weeks before, she'd been sitting in her car, dreading going inside and now, here she was—showing up early and eager to work. Of course, the work itself was gratifying and to be able to have a hand in helping her mom hold on to her business was enough to keep her going. The working conditions, on the other hand, were a different story altogether.

It was probably for the best not to dwell on that particular situation—especially since just the thought of Ima's dark, icy, daggers for eyes made her shiver...or want to punch the table beneath her. She'd quickly learned that the best way to handle Ima was to ignore Ima but sometimes that proved to be more challenging than she could handle, especially when she overhead Ima complaining to Lyla that Jax hadn't returned her phone calls or her text messages since "his kid" was born. For a split second, she'd almost pounced on that, for a number of reasons, but had quickly caught herself and retreated back to the office. Then, of course, there was the incident where they'd gotten into a screaming match when Ima had shown up over two hours late for the third time that week. Thank God Bobby had been there to pull her back into the office because she didn't know what would have happened if he hadn't.

But she wasn't going to get anything genuinely important done if she spent all her time at CaraCara fuming over Ima and her shit attitude. So with that in mind, she shifted her attention back to the papers in her hand and the emails on her computer...and then had to pee. Stupid coffee went right through her.

With a frustrated huff, she rose from her chair and headed to the bathroom—if it wasn't one thing, it was the other thing. When she got back to the office and finally ready to get some real work done now, she skidded to a stop when she realized she wasn't alone in the office anymore. A short, stocky man with dark, thinning hair and glasses too small for his overly round face was standing in the middle of the office, flipping through some files on her desk.

"Can I help you?" She asked sharply as a wave of uneasiness rushed through her.

The man looked up and smiled darkly, his eyes squinting through his glasses with a glint she couldn't quite place. All she knew was that the look in them rooted her to the ground as her stomach slid into a tight knot.

"Well, hey there," the man replied, his smile only widening as he spoke. "You must be Luann's daughter, Emma, right?"

She swallowed nervously and nodded slowly, her mind still not completely able to register just what was happening. "How did you get in here? I locked the door when I came in this morning."

"Well," the man chuckled. "Since you asked so nicely, my name is Georgie Caruso and I'm one of your mother's business associates...she gave me a key a couple of years ago."

Her eyes narrowed as something clicked in her head. Luann had mentioned someone named Georgie a few times but never in a pleasant capacity and if he was one of her 'associates', like he'd said, she was sure she would've already known about it. There was no way he had a key. At least not one that Luann had given him. Self-preservation was kicking in and she knew she had to at the very least keep him talking, figure out what the hell he was doing here until someone else got to the office. Maybe if she could just get to her phone...

"What do you want?" She asked coolly, hoping she looked as calm and collected as she needed to.

"I have a business proposition for you that I think you'll be very interested in." His eyes seemed like they were scaling her entire body, going up and down and then back up again and she suddenly felt very cold.

Trying not to alert him to her alarm, she calmly folded her arms across her chest and looked him square in the eye. "A business proposition? From one of my mother's business associates?"

Georgie's hands immediately rose up in defense. "I guess I should've said it was more like...business acquianctances...yeah, that would be a more accurate description."

Well, he'd done nothing but confirmed what she had already suspected.

"What makes you think I would be interested in your 'proposition'?"

Georgie didn't hesitate. "Because I know what Luann is payin' you and I'm prepared to double that salary if you'll come work for me instead."

She could herself from laughing out loud and shook her head. "Just like that, huh?"

"Word on the street is that you've single-handedly turned CaraCara around in a matter of weeks. I could use a woman with a brain like that in my operation."

"And just what exactly is your operation?"

Georgie seemed a little taken aback that she didn't know and pulled at his collar with an agitated exhale. "Lacuna Films."

She shrugged. "Never heard of it."

"My company had the best selling title in this region—that's nothing to sniff at. We got four AVN awards this year and ten films in the can already. I need someone that can come in and really manage things for me...I've got retirement to think about."

"And you think I'm just going to quit my mother's business and come work for you?"

He smiled again and took a step closer to her, which toppled her renewed sense of control in this situation.

"Look, Emma, like I said—I'm prepared to double your salary. Trust me, I have no problem giving a gorgeous, smart woman like you all the control in this relationship. You'll be on top, Emma. I think a woman like you would like that."

The thinly veiled innuendos pushed her over the edge and she was ready for him to get the hell out of her office.

"Listen, Mr. Caruso, thank you for the generous offer but my answer is no." She pushed through clenched teeth.

His eyes narrowed and he took another dangerous step closer to her. "You're makin' a mistake, Emma."

She laughed out loud and shook her head. "Are you kidding me? I would never work for you."

"And why is that?"

She laughed again and all the disgust, frustration, and uneasiness she'd been feeling in this situation was too much to keep pushing down. "Because you're an asshole and you creep me out."

While she'd subconsciously been aware that her answer wouldn't be received well, she was not prepared for him to advance on her and grab her roughly, too roughly, by the arm and squeeze, sending slivers of sharp pain down her forearm as she gasped in alarm.

"Bad move, Emma. You don't know what you're doin' here." Georgie spat, his face red and twisted with malice.

"Are you threatening me?" She tried to struggle out of his grasp but he just tightened his grip, sending another wave of spiky prickling through her arm. This time, she couldn't stop the sharp cry from escaping her lips and his eyes glinted victoriously.

"What do you think?" He snarled in her ear. "You're going to end up working for me one way or another...you might as well get used to it."

"Threatening me isn't going to get you what you want." She shot back as he abruptly tossed her arm back to her and headed for the door.

She struggled for breath as she watched him stalk out of the office and into the hallway. The second she lost sight of him, she scrambled to the door and locked it behind him. She stumbled back a few steps as the realization hit her that she was okay, she wasn't seriously injured—her arm was throbbing at her side and she was positive Georgie's menacing grip was sure to leave a bruise—but if that was all that had happened then she was overwhelmingly lucky right now.

With a shaky exhale, she fished through her purse for her phone and dialed her mother's number, somehow, in spite of her trembling fingers.

* * *

><p>Luann paced anxiously from one end of the office to the other as Emma leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Her mother had, naturally, shit a brick when she'd gotten her call and had high-tailed it over to CaraCara as fast as she could. The second she'd opened the office door for Luann, she'd been stunned when Luann immediately pulled her to her, enveloping her in her arms and squeezing her tightly. Even the unshed tears in her mother's eyes had shocked her as she put both hands on her face to get a clearer look at her.<p>

"Emma..." she whispered hoarsely as she held her. "Please tell me you're alright...God, if anything had happened to you...I'd kill him!"

"Mom, I'm fine." She'd replied unconvincingly.

Luann just pulled her into her arms again and held her tightly against her. She couldn't remember the last time her mother had displayed these types of emotions towards her...the mama bear persona wasn't something she was used to and she certainly wasn't used to her mother actually acting like a parent for once. All that did was add to her already pounding head.

And then Ima had stumbled into the office with a split lip and a black eye crying that one of Georgie's guys had threatened to do worse if she spent another day filming at CaraCara. As Luann comforted Ima, Emma had sat carefully in the background, not wanting to make a bad situation worse. If she was being completely honest with herself, the sight of Ima bloody and barely able to open her left eye was not something she ever wanted to see again. She'd often thought about what it would be like to punch Ima in the face—and that she would've deserved it—but now, seeing the byproducts of that kind of violence made her sick to her stomach.

Having just been on the receiving end of Georgie's own personal brand of persuasion, she felt sorry for Ima, especially since what had happened to Ima was much worse than what she had experienced. And now, as she watched Ima hold an icepack to her eye, she was grateful to only have a bruise as a souvenir from the experience.

When Luann had whipped out her phone to call Jax, she'd listened as her mother erratically recounted the events of her and Ima's encounters with Georgie. Her nerves were getting the best of her and she couldn't stop her leg from jumping nervously the deeper the conversation with Jax got. When Luann tossed her phone back in her bag and blew out a shaky breath, she knew Jax was on his way. He'd given Luann strict instructions to stay in the office, lock the door, and not open it up for anyone but him. And that was exactly what they were doing now.

"I just don't understand how the hell that fucker got in here..." her mother was muttering to herself as she continued her pacing. "He's tryin' to run me outa business...we finally get things goin' again here and he swoops in to fuck it all up...and then to lay hands on my daughter and my best girl...he's takin' this shit way too far."

"Jax will take care of this, Mom." Emma reassured her. She was starting to feel even more on edge the more she watched her mother wear down the carpet.

Ima perked up at the mention of Jax and for the first time that morning, she didn't feel so bad for Ima.

"Yeah, well," Luann had finally stopped her pacing. "I hope to God Jax takes one look at your arm and at least puts that mother fucker in the hospital or something."

"Her arm?" Ima spat out. "What about my god damn face?"

Luann rubbed her face with her hands and blew out a breath. Emma swallowed uneasily and tried to divert her gaze anywhere but on Ima, who currently looked like she was about to lunge out of her chair and throttle her from across the room.

They must have sat there in silence for at least another ten minutes, with Luann pacing, her fist clenched angrily at her sides, Ima with her menacingly evil glare, and Emma leaning back against the wall with her eyes closed, trying to forget all this had even happened, as they waited for Jax to finally show up.

A few minutes later, all three women sitting in the office jumped when someone pounded on the door.

"Hey, it's Jax. Open up." His gruff voice echoed from the other side of the door.

Luann had barely gotten it open before Ima launched herself at Jax, latching her arms around his neck and refusing to let go. Emma immediately stood at his arrival, her breath beginning to tighten in her chest as she craned her neck to get a glimpse of him beyond Ima's hysterical antics. She watched, feeling a little out of her body, as Jax abruptly untangled himself from Ima's grasp and subtly pushed her away, his eyes wild and searching.

When his eyes pierced through her, she felt like all the breath left her body. And in an instant, the wave of uneasiness she'd been riding evaporated. Even though her breathing was still a little ragged, just the sight of him let her know that everything was going to be alright now.

Suddenly, he was bounding towards her and his hands were on her shoulders, practically making her jump out of her skin at the jolt from his touch.

"You okay?" He whispered hoarsely, his eyes shining with an alarming mix of fear, worry, and concern.

She nodded slowly and then his eyes moved down to her forearm with its ugly, unmistakable purple bruise. She subconsciously covered it with her other hand as he stepped away from her, his eyes still trained on the area her hand was masking.

"Someone want to tell me what the hell happened here? Who the fuck is this guy, Luann? How did he get in when Emma was here alone?" He spat, looking to her mother for some answers.

"I used to work for him," Luann answered quietly. "Well, I should say with him..."

Emma briefly shut her eyes, not needing another reminder of just how involved her mother was in the porn industry.

"We both started separate businesses," her mother continued with a shaky voice. "We've always been competitive but never like this."

Jax stared at her, his eyes narrowing into dangerous blue daggers. "How did he get in?"

"He said he had a key," Emma offered quietly. Jax turned to face her again at the sound of her voice and he squeezed his eyes shut briefly before rubbing a quick hand over his mouth.

"There's no way he should have a key," Luann tried to explain.

"His guy punched me in the face, Jax," Ima cut in, putting herself effectively between Emma and Jax as she spoke and she reached up again to grasp a fistful of his cut.

He pushed her away again and gestured for her to take the chair across the room.

"I can see that," Jax replied exasperatedly. "Go sit over there while we figure this shit out, Ima."

Her eyes just about fell out of her head at his words and she gaped at him for several moments before he impatiently gestured towards the chair again. She marched over to the chair and plopped herself down in a huff like a naughty toddler who'd just been reprimanded as she put the ice back on her eye.

"Well," Luann started again. "He's clearly going the intimidation route here...I just can't believe he would go that far...he's always been a scumbag but this is takin' it to a new level."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to worry about that fucker. I'll take care of it." Jax replied, his eyes glaring with stern determination. "There's a prospect outside and he's gonna stay the rest of the day, make sure you ladies get home alright. After that, I'll talk to the club about keeping a prospect here around the clock to make sure everyone's protected."

Luann nodded quickly. "Thank you, Jax, for taking care of this. I really appreciate it."

Jax's eyes drifted back to Emma as he nodded. His eyes lingered on her for a moment and she felt like she needed to sit down under the weight, her breath ragged again. And when he left the office...to take care of it...she collapsed in the first chair she could find, exhausted and overwhelmed.

* * *

><p>As Jax stalked down the hallway, he didn't waste a second to call Clay on his prepay.<p>

"Yeah?" Clay's gruff, tired voice answered and he had to remind himself that it wasn't even 9:30 in the morning yet.

"We got a problem at CaraCara, Clay," Jax started quickly, casting a quick glance behind him as he walked, making sure Emma was still in the office.

"Shit. What happened?"

"One of Luann's old co-stars, Georgie Caruso—has his own studio now—broke into the building this morning and threatened Emma. He's trying to get her to work for him and he grabbed her. Then Ima shows up this morning after the fact with a beaten-in face and says that one of Georgie's guys did it and it'll happen again if she shows up for another day of filming."

"Everyone alright?"

Jax blew out a breath and squeezed his eyes shut as an image of Emma's bruised forearm flashed through his mind. "Yeah, they're fine. But we gotta handle this, Clay. He's tryin' to strong arm his way into shutting CaraCara down by threatening Luann's best employees. That can't happen again, Clay."

"Well, clearly the bastard is just cherry-pickin' now that CaraCara is finally makin' some money…the timing is pretty convenient." Clay mused.

Jax blew out a deep breath, more than a little frustrated that Clay was not reacting to this situation exactly the way he would've preferred. "Look, Clay, you've made it clear since day one that this is my operation. So let me handle this fucker. Our friend, Georgie, needs to be put in his place."

"You gonna be able to keep your head, son? The last thing the club needs right now is another dead body floating around—especially on account of pussy. You need to remember that this is about business, not your ties to CaraCara."

He exhaled exasperatedly and ran a hand over his face. "My personal life has nothing to do with this shit, Clay. I cut ties with Ima a long time ago."

Clay chuckled into the phone. "That's not what I meant. Listen, do what you need to do to get this asshole off Luann's back but take Tig and Opie with you for backup."

"Right. I'll let you know when it's done."

He flipped the prepay closed with a shaky breath and dug into the back of his jeans for his cigarette pack. Shit, his nerves were completely shot and his hands were trembling so much he could barely light the fucking cigarette. What he needed to do now, while he waited for Tig and Opie to show up, was get his shit together. As much as he hated to admit it, Clay had been right. He had to keep his cool and even though nothing would make him happier than to pummel Georgie Caruso into the ground, that was not the best way to handle this situation. So he was grateful for some time to pull himself together enough so that he was in complete control when he was finally face to face with the fucker who'd been stupid enough to put his hands on her.

Emotions were a fucking bitch and at the moment, he was struggling to keep them all at bay. He squeezed his eyes shut as the image of Emma's forearm, with its purple and red handprint for a bruise and her scared, wide eyes. It was all he could do not to pull her into his arms and just fucking hold her, audience be damned. And now, it was all he could not to punch a hole through the cement wall he was currently leaning against.

But what set him on edge the most was his knee-jerk reaction to Luann's phone call that morning. He almost hadn't even answered it but then quickly realized that Luann never called him and that there was no good reason why she was calling him before 9:00 in the morning. As he listened to Luann's hysterics, the second she'd uttered the words "Emma" and "threatened", he'd just about tore his room apart even though he could barely see straight. And then, as his immediate rage subsided, he'd felt suddenly cold as another emotion coursed through him: fear.

This was not an emotion he was used to feeling—apart from when Abel had been born. He didn't know what to do with this feeling of complete helplessness. But the longer he listened to Luann, the colder he felt. He kept bracing himself for the worst, that Emma was being taken to the hospital, that she'd been beaten, that she had a broken bone…and when that never came, a wave of relief rushed through him so quickly it'd almost knocked him to the floor. She was okay. She was going to be okay. And that shit was never going to happen again.

His hands fisted tightly at his sides as he resisted the urge to punch the wall again. He couldn't stop himself from picturing the scene that had taken place in the office that morning. Georgie scaring the shit out of her, threatening her…touching her…if he was being completely honest with himself, that was the part that enraged him the most. Sure, the threats were enough to warrant an ass-kicking but the fact that he had touched her and left a mark on her skin made his blood simmer. He took another drag from his cigarette to muster up some semblance of control. He was going to need every bit of it.

When the roar of motorcycle engines reached his ears, he was overwhelmingly grateful. He was fucking sick of waiting for the chance to do to Georgie exactly what he'd done to Emma.

* * *

><p>As they pulled into Lacuna Films' parking lot, Jax quickly took inventory of his surroundings. The building itself looked like it had been well-maintained over the years and there were many expensive, shiny cars and SUVs parked in the lot next to it. Georgie was clearly doing well for himself. So why the hell did he need to try to scare Emma, and Ima, for that matter, into working for him? His business wasn't failing, like CaraCara nearly was but maybe Clay was right, maybe Georgie was just a lazy businessman who didn't see the need to cultivate any true success on his own. Still, the fucker was about to get his ass handed to him, even if he didn't know it yet.<p>

"You gonna be alright, brother?" Opie asked quietly, lowering his voice as they walked up to the front entrance of Lacuna.

"I'll be better when this bitch is put in his place." Jax barked out sharply. He immediately regretted his tone; he didn't mean to take any of this out on Opie…he just needed this shit to be over.

When they walked through the door, he felt a switch go off in his head and he was automatically in battle mode, ready to engage and put the fear of God into the stupid asshole.

"Hey, Georgie!" Jax yelled down the hallway. "Where the fuck you at?"

He waited a few beats before storming down the hallway, Opie and Tig right on his heels, searching for the ball-less son of a bitch who was probably cowering under his desk somewhere. Two large, muscular security guards in black immediately approached them but Jax didn't back down, meeting them toe to toe and looking them right in the eye. He wasn't leaving until this was finished.

"I have a business meeting with your boss," Jax spat. "You wanna let him know I'm here? I'm a little early."

The security guards exchanged knowing glances before one of them turned around. Georgie Caruso had appeared behind them and Jax briefly registered the feel of Opie's hand on his shoulder as a pre-emptive action just in case he flew off the handle. But as he took in Georgie's wide, swarmy black eyes barely camouflaged by those too-small wire glasses, he knew he was the one in control of this situation. This was gonna be fun.

"Georgie," he started coolly. "In case you missed it, we have an appointment. Now."

Georgie turned white and nervously began to backpedal inside an open office, bringing his two lapdogs with him. Tig shut the door behind them as Georgie laughed nervously.

"I'm sure you know who we are." Jax folded his arms sternly across his chest and stared at Georgie as a flicker of recognition crossed his eyes.

"Yeah," Georgie nodded carefully, his eyes flicking back to the security guards behind him.

"Good, then I'm sure you know why we're here."

Georgie shrugged. "I got no idea, Mr. Teller."

Jax's eyes narrowed menacingly as he closed the distance between them, getting right in his face. "Stay the fuck out of CaraCara. If you even so much as sniff around there again, I won't be so nice next time."

Georgie laughed out loud and just shook his head, holding his hands up in mock-defense. "You can't tell me what to do…I saw a way to expand my business and I took it, alright?"

He could feel his nostrils flaring and felt his hands clench at his sides. "You're gonna find a different way to expand your business, got it?"

"Oh come on, you guys think you're so tough, right? You don't scare me and you can't fucking tell me how to run my business!" Georgie spat.

Jax couldn't stop the low snarl that escaped his lips as he advanced on Georgie, taking two fistfuls of his shirt collar as he pushed him up against the wall. Georgie's lapdog immediately pounced but before they would pull Jax away from him, Georgie just waved an arm at them.

"It's alright, boys; let him get it out of his system." He laughed to his security guards before turning his cocky gaze back to Jax, which only served to enrage him further.

"Now, Mr. Teller," he continued. "Where were we? Oh right…you were tryin' to tell me how to run my business. But I think I know what this is really about…you're not happy about the way I went about things this morning and I understand that. I overstepped my boundaries."

"You said you had a key, asshole." Jax spat through clenched teeth, still maintaining a tight grip on Georgie's collar.

"Oh yeah…I just picked the lock." He winced as Jax pushed into the wall a little further. "Jesus Christ…"

"You broke into CaraCara and threatened Luann's daughter…you're fuckin' lucky I don't rip your head off right now. Hasn't anyone ever taught you not to put your hands on a woman, you sick fuck?"

Georgie's eyes seemed to glaze over and his face broke out into a wide grin. "Oh I see what this is _really_ about…you can't really blame me though, right? I mean, you've seen her…"

Jax's face twisted maliciously and he slammed Georgie's head into the wall. "Watch yourself, asshole."

The security dogs were on him immediately but he shrugged himself out of their grip as he took a step back, feeling Tig and Opie right behind him, ready to pounce if necessary.

"You know," Georgie said with a grimace as he rubbed the back of his head. "I can see why you're so protective of her…those legs, those tits, those big, blue eyes…shit, I'm gettin' all excited just thinkin' about her. You know…she'd look really good in one of my movies…like mother like daughter, right?"

A split second later, Jax's fist connected with his jaw. So much for staying in control.

Georgie's head knocked backwards against the wall and he slumped over limply as he tried to regain his bearings. Tig and Opie were instantly in between them, trying to keep security at bay and stop this 'meeting' from becoming an all-out brawl.

"Come on," Jax barked to Tig and Opie. "We're done here."

He almost got out all the way out the door before he turned back on his heels and ignored the cursing he heard from Tig's direction. Jax squatted down to where Georgie still laid, rubbing his jaw with a pained expression and jabbed a finger in his face.

"Let me make this clear," Jax spat out venomously. "If I ever see you anywhere near CaraCara again and if you so much as come within a mile of Luann's daughter, your face ain't the only thing I'm breakin'. Got it?"

The cocky, self-satisfied grin slid off of George's disproportionate features as he nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I got it." He mumbled.

Satisfied with that response, Jax turned on his heel and stalked out of Lacuna Films.

* * *

><p>Agent June Stahl sat back in her chair and swiveled around to take another gleeful glance at her handiwork—an entire map of Samcro and everyone associated with them, enemies known and unknown included. It had taken her almost the entire night before to put everything in order and now that it was finished, she felt like she finally had the visual she needed for such an elaborate plan. She'd been almost manic about it—wanting to get every single detail right, every single connection, even if it wasn't entirely a confirmed connection—she needed all her information organized in order for this to work.<p>

The second she'd gotten the call from Charming PD, she'd pounced on it. Of course, Deputy Hale hadn't exactly counted on the details but if he was smart, he'd just sit back and allow her to do the job she was hired for and stop meddling.

After a string of dead ends and zero leads, this new opportunity to establish herself was one there was no way she was going to pass up. To bring down the mother charter of the Sons of Anarchy...that was too sweet to resist. And then, in a brilliant twist of fate, she'd gotten the tip that had completely upheaved her original plans and handed her the bust of a lifetime—bringing down not one but two organizations. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.

And if everything went as planned, she was barely going to have to do anything but sit back and relax as the two criminal organizations ate each other alive. Then all she'd have to do was simply arrest the survivors, which would probably be few and far between.

When her phone buzzed on the desk next to her, she sighed tiredly as she glanced at her caller id. This man had been a thorn in her side the minute he'd agreed to work with her and she was beginning to regret ever approaching him in the first place. He'd better have something good this time.

"Stahl." She clipped into her phone.

"Hey boss."

She rolled her eyes at the sound of his breathless, overly heavy voice on the other end. "What do you need, Caruso? Finally make some progress?"

He sighed and mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't quite make out. "No...I need some backup though. It didn't exactly go the way I thought it would this morning...Teller went after me."

Her eyes narrowed and she fisted a hand on her hip as she gripped the phone a little tighter. Thank God she didn't really need this idiot to make everything happen the way she needed it to. The man was clearly inept at doing just about anything right.

Hale appeared in the doorway and she held a hand up to silence him. He quietly shut the door behind him and took a seat across from her.

"What the hell happened?" It was getting increasingly difficult to keep calm every time she spoke to this incompetent asshole.

"I...um..." he stammered. "I tried to convince Luann's daughter to come work for me...I didn't mean to grab her but that bitch just made me so angry."

"Jesus Christ, Caruso!" She yelled into the phone, making Hale jump from across her. "All you have to do is shut CaraCara down. It's a failing business...it can't be that hard."

"I'm sorry, boss," he murmured quietly. "I'm trying...I offered her double her salary, had one of my guys rough up Luann's biggest moneymaker...now I'm have Teller all over my shit."

"Yeah, well you have no one to blame but yourself for that one. What did you think was going to happen? Jesus, you have the sublety of a sledgehammer."

"So...can I have that backup?"

Stahl laughed mirthlessly. "I have half a mind to shred our deal altogether. Is this really what you called me for? Maybe I should just take immunity off the table right now-"

"No...no!" Georgie cut her off in alarm. "I...uh...I got something! This morning...when Teller went after me...punched me in the face after I made an, um, off-color remark about Luann's daughter...I think he's got a thing for her."

Stahl took a moment to wrap her head around this new little piece of information. As the pieces began to click together, she quickly glanced at one of the notecards she'd just finished pinning to the bulletin board and smiled. It was all snapping together perfectly.

"Good," she said coolly. "Finally something I can use. Listen, Caruso, because you've been such a big help to me today, I'm willing to give you one more chance before I hand you over to the feds. Maybe this time, since it's your last shot and all, be a little more subtle with your scare tactics, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am, I mean...thank you. I'll get the job done, I promise...I won't let you down again."

She rolled her eyes again as she tossed her phone back down to the desk. Quite frankly, she couldn't care less if Caruso followed up on his end of their agreement because at this point, she had no intention of actually following through on hers. Besides, she'd just been handed another wonderful twist of fate that was only going to make the fireworks—explosions was more accurate—that were sure to follow once this little piece of information was out in the open all the more entertaining.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Hale's quiet voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Doing what?" She replied with a sly smile.

He blew out a breath and ran a hand over his face. "Stirring the pot like this. Can't we just wait until-"

"This is just the pregame, Deputy," she cut in knowingly. "All this just leads us up to the big show. The main event...it's gonna be beautiful watching them crush each other."

"But you're just stirring up trouble right now...how is this actually making a difference in these cases?"

She just rolled her eyes again. "We've been over this already. Putting pressure on Samcro from all sides is only going to make them that much weaker when the big show arrives. Caruso was maybe a bad idea but now I've got some ammo that might give me another hand to play so I guess it was worth exploring that angle. Besides, you'll never believe the intel Caruso, of all people, just handed me..."

She gestured towards the giant bulletin board behind her with every space filled up, arrows, post-its, and notecards resting next to each picture. "Our friend Caruso just told me that Teller attacked him after he made a comment about Emma Delaney...seems Mr. Teller harbors some romantic feelings for Ms. Delaney. Very sweet and romantic, I know, especially for an outlaw. But, as you might remember, our damsel in distress used to date _him _in college."

She gestured to the picture of the man she was referring to as she spoke and Hale's eyes just about fell out of their sockets.

"Of course, Big Otto's pride and joy had no idea who he _really_ was...but we couldn't have asked for a better development. When Teller gets brought up to speed on his soon-to-be old lady's history...the possibilities are just endless..." She trailed off, her mouth practically watering at all the fantastic directions this could possibly play out.

"I don't know, June," Hale exhaled softly. "Someone could get hurt."

"That's not necessarily my problem, is it? You called me here to bring down Samcro and that's exactly what I plan on doing. Now, if you're not happy with my methods then get the fuck out of this office and let me do my job. This is my god damn show, Hale!"

Hale held up his hands in defense and blew out a deep breath. "Alright."

"You know," Stahl turned back to him with her hands on her hips. "With all the excitement today, I think it's time I head over to Teller-Morrow and introduce myself. You think they're having a big party at their clubhouse tonight?"

"Yeah," Hale nodded. "They always do on Fridays."

"Perfect." Stahl's mouth curved into a wicked grin as she spoke. "I've always been the life of the party."

* * *

><p>As the elevator doors opened, Emma felt like she could finally let out the breath she'd been holding all day. The white-washed hospital walls had become oddly comforting to her these last few weeks but then again, this was the part of her day she looked forward to the most. And after the shit day she'd just had, she needed this more than ever.<p>

She turned the corner and was immediately greeted by the friendly nurse waiting for her at the nurse's station.

"Hey, Claire." She smiled warmly. "How's he doing today?"

"Well," Claire spoke as they walked closer to Abel's room. "His breathing is right where we need it to be. His heart is getting stronger every day...all signs point to the little guy going home very soon."

Emma blew out a relieved breath as they approached the incubator. She peered down inside and smiled softly at the growing baby inside. Abel seemed to have grown at least an inch or so since he was born and a patch of blonde hair was slowly coming in on top of his head. But his eyes had stayed exactly the same and suddenly, he was focusing intently on her, reaching up to her with a tiny fist.

"He recognizes you...you know that, right?" Claire said softly next to her.

She wasn't entirely sure what to do with that information so she just smiled briefly as the nurse stepped outside. As she looked back down at Abel, she moved her hand until it was resting directly above where Abel's little fist reached up to her.

"Hey Abel," she whispered. "I missed you...I had a really crappy day, but I think I feel a little better now."

He yawned in response, his eyes still focused right on her, and his arm went up and over his head before resting down on the blanket covering him. She chuckled and swallowed as the stirring in her stomach she always felt when she was here welled up inside her. All she wanted was for him to just get better...so he could go home and start to be normal, have a normal life...she closed her eyes as she thought of how he'd been brought into this world and said a silent prayer of thanks that Wendy had eventually come to her senses and checked into rehab. That was best for everyone involved.

The door creaked open behind her and she turned to see Jax standing in the doorway, his eyes shining as he took her in. He grinned widely as he sauntered over to where she stood and placed a hand on the incubator.

"Hey there, little man." Jax whispered before turning back to her with a wink. "How's it goin' today?"

"The nurse told me on my way in that everything's exactly where it should be...breathing, heart rate..." She answered for Abel with a smile.

His grin only expanded and she felt her heart just about jump into her throat. But then his eyes shifted down to the edge of her sweater, which she had pushed up a little her arm to get it out of the way, and was now exposing half of the remnants of her earlier encounter with Georgie.

He swallowed as he reached out to lightly graze the untouched skin next to the bruise and she could barely stop herself from shivering at his touch. His eyes were burning into her, almost seeming to burn right through her...and she was starting to feel light-headed.

"You sure you're alright?" He whispered hoarsely.

She nodded quickly, probably too quickly and forced a smile. "I'm fine, Jax."

His eyebrows rose at her rushed reply.

"Really...I'm fine." She pressed again at the unspoken question in his eyes.

"How bad does it hurt?" He had completely turned to face her now, his attention focused entirely on her and she only barely realized that his fingers were still lingering on her forearm. All she felt was heat.

"It's a little sore but it's nothing some ice and a little tequila won't cure." She shrugged, adverting her eyes back to Abel's sleeping form, not wanting to look him in the eye as she lied. It wasn't just a little sore. It fucking killed...but she wasn't about to tell him that.

"Well," he murmured. "That piece of shit is never gonna bother you again."

She nodded, allowing herself to turn towards him and she swallowed nervously when he took a tiny step closer to her, quickly closing any space between them.

"Thanks, Jax," she whispered. "For taking care of that..."

He nodded, his blue eyes smoldering into hers and she didn't know how she was still breathing. A hand snaked out and wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her closer until she was in his arms completely. She closed her eyes and leaned into his cut, loving the feel of the leather against her cheek. For the first time that day, she felt truly relaxed, truly at peace and all the bad shit that had went down that day was just a distant memory. Everything else just disappeared around them.

"I'm never gonna let anyone hurt you, Em." He whispered into her ear.

His arms pulled her in even closer and then suddenly, she felt his cheek against hers. His head dipped lower until she felt his forehead pressing into her neck. Then, without warning, his hot breath grazed her skin and she shivered in his arms. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable, and feeling like her entire body was going to crumble in his arms. His lips lightly kissed her neck and she couldn't stop her hand from sliding from his shoulder up to his neck and tangling it in his hair. When she felt his lips on her neck again, her lips parted as his hands wrapped around her waist tighter, pulling her into him until she could feel every muscle, every ripple, down to the tell-tale hardness in his jeans. His lips were slowly making their up her neck and when her legs threatened to give out on her, a hand slid up from her waist and into her hair to steady her.

His lips continued their ministrations until they were curving up her jaw and on her cheek. Jax moved his head back just enough so he could meet her eyes and her lips parted again as she took in a shaky breath. His eyes had melted into warm pools of sapphire as they shifted from her gaze down to her lips. His tongue flicked out and ran along his bottom lip—she thought she was going to explode—and then, ever so slightly, he started to lean in closer to her, his eyes locked intently on her lips.

And then someone cleared their throat.

"Mr. Teller?" A low voice ventured out behind them.

The spell was immediately broken and their necks snapped to face the white coat clad intruder, Abel's doctor. Emma shivered again, in spite of their audience, as Jax took his time to untangle his hands from her hair and slide around her waist. The heat of the hand that remained locked around her waist was making her feel even more light-headed than she already was and for a fleeting moment, she was grateful there was a doctor in the room in case her body gave out on her completely after what she'd just experienced.

"Sorry to interrupt," Dr. Branson started slowly, taking a cautious step inside the room as he spoke. "The nurse told me you were here and I wanted to check in."

Jax nodded quickly. "Sure thing, doc."

"Abel has been responding exactly the way we need him to. Breathing, heart, digestive system, everything seems to be putting him right on track to go home soon."

Jax's eyes lit up and he glanced down at her with a wide smile before turning his attention back to the doctor. "That's great news, doc. When can we hold him though?"

Dr. Branson smiled warmly as he stepped up to the incubator to get a closer look at Abel, who was currently kicking the blanket off of him. "I think tomorrow would be just fine."

She could barely register the news herself before she felt both arms around her again, holding her to him in a quick embrace.

"This is fantastic...I can't believe this," Jax ran a shaky hand through his hair as he spoke, casting a quick glance at his son. "Tomorrow..."

Dr. Branson nodded to both of them with a kind smile before excusing himself. Emma watched him go and then shifted her eyes back to Jax, who was staring down at his son in awe. She carefully inched to the side, needing to put a little space between them and if he noticed, he didn't show it. The weight of what had almost just happened before Dr. Branson walked in was making her head spin.

"I...um...I think I should get going. After everything had happened today, Dawn is probably going crazy because I'm not home yet." She chuckled nervously.

His eyes immediately flew to hers and when she saw the glimmer of disappointment in them, she almost gave in to his silent pleading. What she needed right now was a little space and a little time to process what the hell had just happened. Neither spoke as she reached for her long-forgotten purse on the rocking chair next to Abel.

She leaned over the incubator and waved to Abel as he reached up to her again. "See you later, buddy."

Her eyes flitted briefly to Jax, who was fixated intensely on her interaction with his son. She couldn't allow herself to dwell on that, not until she figured this out at least.

When she turned away from him and started towards the door, his hand shot out and clasped over hers.

"Hey," he murmured softly, his voice and his grip pulling her back just enough. She couldn't have pulled away if she tried. "You're gonna be at the clubhouse tonight, right?"

And at that moment, with the way his eyes pierced through her, there was only one answer she could give. When her voice failed her, she just nodded, a small smile edging up on her face.

"Yeah," she finally replied shakily. "I'll be by later with Dawn."

A lop-sided grin slid onto his features and she thought her heart was going to combust inside her chest.

"Good," he grinned back at her. "I'll see you later, darlin'."

She could only smile back and waved awkwardly as she backpedalled out of the room, his fingers sliding through her hand the further she got. And when she was finally in the safety of the elevator, she leaned back against it and closed her eyes as her hand pressed into her neck, the feel of his lips still lingering and once again, she couldn't stop herself from shivering.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-**So, lots of stuff going on, right? They're inching closer and closer towards something physical and the next chapter will be a gigantic leap forward in that area when we see what goes down at the clubhouse. Of course, admitting feelings will be more of an uphill battle. But there are some serious problems on the horizon-and really, Stahl and Georgie are going to be the last of Samcro's real problems.

Hopefully, everything made sense; I know there was a lot of jumping around in this chapter but it was necessary. And...I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had writing it! The next chapter should be up as fast as I can write it. Please r/r!


	5. Fumbling

**A/N-**So this where the story starts to slowly but surely it's rating; just a heads up. Also, in case you're wondering, the song that Emma and Dawn are dancing to in the clubhouse is "Broken-Hearted" by Karmin. I couldn't think of way to get the song title in this chapter without it ending up cheesy but I think the lyrics set the scene pretty perfectly. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

><p>TRUE LOVE WAY<p>

Chapter Five

As Emma pulled into their apartment building's parking lot and parked her car, she leaned back in her seat and blew out a deep breath. She closed her eyes as an image of Jax's eyes burning into her flashed across her mind and she gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. She moved a hand to feel the space where his lips had been and bit her lip. Even the places on her waist, on her back, in her hair that he'd touched felt like they were on fire.

Shaking herself out of the trance, she opened her eyes again and took another deep breath in a vain effort to calm her shattered nerves. So much had happened today...she'd barely had time to process the incident with Georgie—as well as Jax's reaction to it—and then at the hospital...it was all just a little too much to handle right now. She needed a drink. Well, more like a few drinks.

By the time she was pushing the door to their apartment open, Dawn was already right in her face and chirping in her ear.

"Oh my God!" Dawn yelped as she wrapped her arms around her. "I was so worried about you today and then you didn't come home right away...where were you?"

She managed to shrug herself out of Dawn's grasp long enough to kick off her shoes and throw her bag on the floor.

"I was just at the hospital visiting Abel." She murmured tiredly, running a hand over her face.

Dawn nodded slowly. "Oh...okay."

She ignored Dawn's eyes on her as moved around the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and poured herself a healthy serving in the glass Dawn silently handed to her. She kept her eyes focused on the floor in front her and took a long gulp from the glass, immediately feeling a little better as the wine warmed her throat and her head.

"That bad, huh?"

She turned her head to see Dawn facing her head-on, a hand knotted at her hip and an eyebrow cocked at her. Her eyes flitted shut for a moment as she blew out yet another shaky breath. When was this going to stop? When was she going to start feeling normal again? But she knew, deep down, even if the day's events hadn't occurred, she still would be feeling like she was hovering over her own body, watching all this happen to her. Deep down, she knew something had shifted in her the day Abel was born and every time she saw Jax that shift only intensified. There was a part of her that almost just blurted out what had almost happened between her and Jax at the hospital...maybe she just needed to talk about it, work it out verbally instead of in her head for once. But then again, if she said it out loud, that would make it real, wouldn't it? And that wasn't necessarily something she was ready to face yet.

"Jez, Em...you're starting to scare me here...you sure you're alright?" Dawn's voice echoed across the kitchen.

She just nodded—it was a knee-jerk reaction at this point. She'd been asked if she was alright countless times already that day and the conversation was starting to feel a bit stale. All she wanted to do was move on.

"I'm fine, Dawn...I'm just...I'm just tired."

Dawn nodded emphatically and put an arm around her shoulder as she finally caught sight of the bruise on her arm. "Oh shit...that looks like it fuckin' kills, Em..."

She immediately started rummaging through the freezer and took an ice tray out. She quickly tossed some cubes into a plastic bag before handing it over to her. "This should help a little bit, Em...I'm so sorry that happened to you. I can't imagine..."

Emma blew out a breath and winced a little when the cold ice hit the bruise. "Thanks...scared the shit out of me...I just kept thinking—there's no way this can end without me ending up raped and murdered in an alley somewhere."

Dawn's pained face twisted and she leaned her head against her shoulder, squeezing her tighter. "Yeah, well, that didn't happen. You're fine. That shit will heal in no time and then before you know it, you'll forget it ever even happened."

"I hope so."

She nodded again and stepped away from her to give her a little space. When Emma turned to face her again, Dawn was smiling up at her with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"So," she started with a sly smile. "I heard Jax had a...uh...pretty strong reaction to the incident today."

"Yeah," Emma replied, her eyes narrowing slightly at this new shift in conversation. "He wasn't very happy about the whole thing...my mom called him pretty hysterical so I'm sure that was a great start off to his day."

Dawn just shrugged and raised an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, I bet. I'm sure seeing that bruise on your arm did nothing but fan the fire. Juice told me Jax punched that mother fucker out after he made some nasty comment about you..."

She froze, her wine glass held up in mid-air as she tried to process this. "How would Juice know that? Didn't Opie and your dad go along with him?"

Dawn shrugged. "Those guys gossip are worse than all the croweaters, sweetbutts, and old ladies combined."

When Emma still couldn't find her voice, Dawn just shrugged again and topped off her wineglass before putting the now near empty bottle back in the refrigerator. She wordlessly moved around some take-out boxes and grabbed a pizza box from one of the racks before throwing a few pieces into the microwave.

They ate in silence and Emma was abundantly grateful that they didn't have to talk right then. The wine was helping the pounding in her head as well as calming her nerves and the pizza was quickly making her stomach feel a little more normal again. Too bad she couldn't get the image of Jax punching Georgie out of her head. Part of her wanted to cheer on the sidelines—the asshole deserved that, at the very least, after the stunt he pulled, the bruise on her arm throbbing as a silent reminder. But the other part of her had no idea how to wrap her mind around that detail, especially since it had happened in response to a comment Georgie made about her. She could pretty easily guess what Georgie had said to Jax—the way his slimy eyes had slithered around her body still made her shudder just to think about it. And Jax, in his own messed up way, had defended her honor. But this was different than if it had been Tig or Bobby or even Juice. And then he'd almost kissed her in the hospital.

"Hey Em," Dawn's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "Do you wanna start getting ready for the clubhouse tonight?"

"Hmm..." she looked up briefly and then immediately shifted her attention away from Dawn's questioning gaze. It was right on the tip of her tongue...all the details, the way he'd held her, the feel of his lips on her neck...everything.

"You sure you're alright? It seems like your head is all over the place right now."

She laughed nervously and ran a hand through her slightly messy hair. If only Dawn knew just how right she was...

A few minutes later, they were standing in front of the bathroom mirror doing their makeup. She was trying to hide the way her hands shook as she tried to apply another layer of mascara and bit her lip when she realized Dawn was eyeing her closely. She knew exactly what was going through Dawn's mind and it probably started with the amount of makeup she was currently applying. She normally just kept it pretty light but tonight, she was layering that shit on like nobody's business. That had not gone unnoticed.

"So," she started calmly, trying to push the attention off of herself. "Things with you and Juice seem to be going pretty well..."

Dawn's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of her man and her lips slid into a wide grin. "He's amazing, Em...seriously, I know you're gonna roll your eyes at me right now but...he's it, Em."

Her eyebrows rose at this new admission. "Really? Are you using the l-word now?"

Dawn's eyes radiated the answer. "He's just everything, Em...and he just makes me so god damn happy; sometimes, I can barely keep myself from screaming it."

She smiled at her best friend's happiness and tilted her head to the side as she took in this change in her. Love had certainly done something...she was still herself, only just enhanced, more radiant, more full of life than she was before. She swallowed as her mind flickered back to Jax's arms around her, his lips on her neck, his hands pulling her waist into him...

"Hey, what's up with you?" Dawn asked curiously. "You seem like you're in your own little world over there."

She eyes immediately flew up to the mirror and found Dawn watching her carefully, quickly looking back down at the tube of mascara in her hand. With another glance back at her reflection, she sighed and rested her hands on the counter in front of them. She knew she could trust Dawn with anything she threw at her...Dawn already had a few of her secrets shut away. Those secrets had been the most painful, shameful aspects of her past that only her best friend knew. If she could share all that with Dawn, it just didn't seem right not to confide in her now.

"Hey," she started shakily. "I have to tell you something but will you promise you won't freak out?"

Dawn's brow creased into her forehead and she just sat back on the toilet, probably bracing herself for the worst. She imagined her best friend was most likely having flashbacks of the last time she'd started out a confession that way and she hoped, just like before, Dawn would just take it all in stride.

With a deep breath, she decided it was best to just spurt it out before she could stop herself. "Jax and I almost kissed at the hospital. Well, actually…I guess he did kiss me…just not on the lips."

Dawn's eyes widened at that last part. "What?"

"On my neck…he kissed me on the neck a few times and then Abel's doctor came in…"

Dawn blew out the breath she'd been holding and laughed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Wow…that wasn't what I was expecting at all."

When she just laughed again, Emma felt her eyes narrowing. "Why are you laughing? I see nothing funny about this."

"Well," Dawn chuckled. "I'm laughing because it's about fuckin' time, that's why."

She folded her arms across her chest, suddenly regretting she had blurt it out in the first place. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Dawn just sent her an exasperated look and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Jax has barely been able to take his eyes off you the second you stepped foot into the clubhouse at your grad party. And then after everything that went down with Abel—which I still don't understand, by the way—Jesus, Em...he's really been eyeing you up since we were sixteen…this has been a looonnng time comin'."

"Come on, Dawn," she huffed.

Dawn just cocked an eyebrow at her. "Fine. But all I know is this: when nobody else could get through to him, when nobody else could get in his house after Abel was born, you show up and bam, you're in there just like that. There's a reason why that happened, Emma and you just haven't let yourself see it."

Stunned into silence, she backed up until her heels hit the wall and she slumped against it as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Can I ask you a question, Em?" Dawn's quiet voice rippled through the bathroom. She waited for Emma to nod before continuing. "Did Jax mention anything about you showin' up at the clubhouse tonight?"

She frowned and remembered the way he had pulled her back. There had been something in his eyes that she couldn't quite place, maybe it was an unspoken promise or a hint of something yet to come but it had seared right through her.

"Yeah," she answered softly. "Right before I left, he asked if I was gonna be there."

Dawn nodded with a knowing smile. "That's what I thought. Okay, okay, listen-"

"Dawn," she cut her off sharply. "I don't need a pep talk, alright? I'm just...I guess I'd be kidding myself if I said I wasn't a little…I mean...I have no idea what's going to happen, or what I want to happen..."

All she really knew was that she couldn't stop thinking about him. And it was those thoughts that worried her.

"Well, I guess you just have to decide then before we leave. Set some boundaries in your head and stick to it."

"Maybe I should just try to ignore him." She exhaled in frustration.

"No!" Dawn yelped. "Don't do that for shit's sake...do you really wanna see him take some stupid bitch croweater back to his dorm tonight? Because that's exactly what will happen if you do that...you'll be telling him that he overstepped and that he should back off which is exactly what he'll do. You don't want that, right? Besides, with your mom's party tomorrow…you've got to put a stake in him pretty quickly before any of those bitches—crow-eaters and porn pussy alike—make a run at him."

She bit her lip and shook her head. With all the commotion today, she had completely forgotten about the party Luann was throwing at CaraCara the next night to 'celebrate' the turnaround, even if there wasn't much to it yet. But she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to handle it if Jax decided to grab hold of another girl right in front of her. Dawn was right, as usual...if she was being honest with herself, and with the way she'd been fixated on their almost kiss at the hospital, maybe they were fumbling towards…something. She just didn't want to think about what yet. Maybe she was sick of always over-thinking everything all the time.

"It's just that…" Emma trailed off as she tried to figure out just what she was thinking. "I'm not sure what I want this to be…or what he wants this to be. It just seems like it's happening so fast; I haven't really had to time to think here."

Dawn just shrugged. "No one said you had to make that particular decision now. But something's gonna happen with you two tonight, that much is obvious—there's no way he would've asked you if you were coming to the clubhouse tonight if he didn't want to see you there. So, you just have to decide. Maybe you just want to flirt. Maybe you want to take it a little further. I don't know…that needs to be up to you."

"Well," she breathed with a renewed sense of determination. "I know for sure I don't want to sleep with him tonight."

Dawn looked at her like she'd just sprouted a second head. "Well, yeah. Right. Baby steps, Em. Baby steps. Don't give him an opportunity to treat you like a croweater...even though I don't think he would do that to you...you need to be the one to set the parameters here."

"Like you did with Juice?" She snarked back and tried to hide her laughter. For all of Dawn's expert advice, she had exhibited zero of that in her pursuit of her new boyfriend.

"Hey," Dawn sassed back, a hand fisting at her hip. "I made him work for it, alright? You should make Jax work for it too. Jesus, Em...just have fun tonight, okay? It's as simple as that. So don't think about tomorrow so much. Just have a good time."

That was good advice. It was, really, everything that she'd needed to hear and she was grateful she'd decided to confide in the one person she knew she could always count on. And as she looked back into the mirror, she smiled at her reflection. Maybe she didn't need to know what she wanted from Jax yet or what he wanted from her. Maybe that didn't really matter anyways. So, as she applied another layer of mascara on her lashes, she decided to take Dawn's advice to heart. No more thinking about tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Jax took another pull from his beer as he dug in his back pants pocket for his cigarette pack. Setting his beer on the pool table in front of him, he avoided Opie's watchful observation of him as he tried in vain to light the cigarette. He flicked the butt of the lighter a few times before slamming it down on the pool table in frustration.<p>

A hand extended out to him with an open flame emanating from a lighter and once again, he avoided looking Opie in the eye. He knew he'd be able to see right through him if he did and he didn't really feel like dealing with that shit right now.

"You seem a little tense, brother," Opie's voice echoed in his ear. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, bro," he was trying to play it cool but Opie clearly wasn't buying it. "No problems here."

Opie clapped a hand on his shoulder, his eyebrows rising up into his forehead. "Sure, brother."

Jax couldn't hide the scowl that crossed his face as Opie walked to the other side of the pool table to take his shot. That damn bastard always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking…he obviously needed to do a better job masking his anxiety. Maybe all he need was a bottle of Jack or two to calm himself down…no, he didn't want to be drunk tonight. That wasn't going to help him.

It was his turn and as he lined up his shot, the clubhouse door swung open. His eyes immediately shot to the doorway, searching for some sign of her but it was just one of the prospects bringing in another case of beer. Shit…he needed to get a grip. A tight, fucking grip. Adverting his gaze back to the matter at hand, he lined up again and swiftly kicked the striped five ball into the pocket across from it. Thankfully, he managed to hit it in with no other distractions.

Frankly, he'd already been distracted all night. Even as he had quickly rattled off the details of what had gone down at that fucking asshole's establishment, he hadn't been able to focus and had rambled like some kind of hyper teenager. It was some unholy miracle that Clay hadn't seen the need to ask him to repeat himself. All he could manage to wrap his head around was the feel of her soft skin against his lips and the way she fucking smelled. He would've been happy just to stand there in the hospital all night and just breathe her in—that intoxicating combination of flowers, apples, and something else that was just distinctly her—it was all he could do not to lick her neck to see if it tasted as good as it smelled. But it was her interaction with his son right before she left that had truly set him off-balance the most. The way Abel had reached up to her—almost like he knew her—and then the way she'd touched the glass beneath him and stared down at him, he knew he wasn't going to be able get that image out of his head for a long time.

And now here he was, fidgeting like an asshole and practically jumping out of his skin every time the clubhouse door opened. One of these times though, she was going to have to come through it and then he could finally put himself out of his self-induced misery. She'd said she would be there and if Dawn was coming too, then it wasn't so much a matter of if but when she'd be waltzing through the door. Still, he was starting to feel more than a little impatient here.

He hadn't really thought this through and honestly, he had no idea what the night was going to bring. But all he knew was that he couldn't stop thinking about how it had felt to hold her in his arms, taste her on his lips, and feel her ragged breath in his ear—and that if Abel's doctor hadn't interrupted them, he wouldn't have stopped.

What he needed right now was just an opportunity for some more time with her.

When the clubhouse door swung open again, his heart just about leapt through his throat when he saw a flash of red pop through it. Blonde couldn't be far behind. He tried to play it cool, tried to shrug off the fact that she was finally here, but it was difficult to push down the thundering in his chest. He clenched the cue stick in his hand a little tighter as he watched them walk in out of the corner of his eye. Dawn was the first one he got a good look at but the second he laid eyes on Emma, the cue stick almost slid right out of his hand.

When their eyes met, she smiled shyly and he couldn't stop the broad grin that stretched across his face. So maybe she wasn't going to ignore him after all. The problem with Emma was…he had no idea what to expect, no roadmap, no instruction manual on how to tread. But now, when she turned her back to him to head towards the bar with Dawn, and he could allow himself to drink her in, crossing into uncharted territory was going to be no problem at all.

He deliberately avoided the blotchy purple bruise on her forearm and instead, decided to focus on everything else. Her hair fell down loosely on her shoulders and he could tell, even from where he stood, that she was wearing a little more makeup than usual, but all of that was trumped by the sight of her long legs flexing in those heels and wrapped up in a tight, black and grey-striped skirt. A black tank-top was loosely tucked into her skirt and he needed a moment to discreetly readjust the tightening in his jeans. She wasn't even flashing any cleavage and he already felt a little crazy. Shit, just the skirt was enough to do the job. He could barely take his eyes off of her long enough to finish the game, having long since moved past giving a shit who won.

He barely even registered the crow-eater that slithered next to him and held out another beer with a sloppy smile. As he reached out to take it from her, he almost froze when he realized that Emma's gaze was trained intently on them. With an uneasy glance at the crow-eater, who grinned pathetically back at him, he took the beer from her and abruptly turned back to the pool table to effectively shut the bitch out. When he felt a light hand run along his back, he immediately did a subtle side-step around her and shrugged himself out from under her grasp.

She stood there for a moment, in a daze—what the hell was her name again, Mindy…Carly—until her face scrunched up in confusion.

"Jax…" She started slowly.

"Thanks for the beer, babe," he held up the bottle as he spoke. "Catch ya later."

She pouted for another moment—maybe her name was Carmen?—until Tig swooped in and wrapped an arm around her waist to lead her over to an empty booth. He blew out a sigh of relief and quickly scanned the room looking for that flash of red—it was just easier to spot in the swarm of cuts, crow-eaters, and hang-arounds that had crowded the floor of the clubhouse—and he craned his neck to see Emma and Dawn leaning over the jukebox. Grinning to himself when he realized neither of them currently had a drink in hand, he decided to rectify the situation.

He waved over a prospect. "Yo Sack!"

Half-Sack teetered over to him with a wide grin, probably grateful to have something to do. "Send some tequila shots over to the ladies by the jukebox…make sure you let them know they're from me."

"Sure thing, boss."

He waited, somehow able to shift his attention seamlessly to the new pool game that started to Half-Sack at the bar and chewed on his bottom lip as he watched Sack handed Emma and Dawn the shots and then leaned in closer to give them his message. Emma's eyes immediately flicked to him with a soft smile as she shook her head with a quick eye roll. He just grinned back as they held the shot up in the air to him before downing it.

As Half-Sack walked away from them with their empty shot glasses in hand, he couldn't stop himself from grimacing as a stupid, up-beat pop song started to blast from the speakers. He shuddered a little and made a mental note to himself to remind Half-Sack to take all that shit out before it could ever happen again. But then Emma and Dawn were out deeper onto the floor as they started to grind on each other to the beat of the music. He grinned again…yeah, maybe that music wasn't so bad after all. It was surprisingly an uphill battle to keep his neck from swiveling his head to the rhythm and sway of Emma's hips. When she threw her head back and laughed as she wrapped an arm around Dawn, he grinned again. She was clearly having fun. And she looked fucking gorgeous as hell doing it.

When the song ended and something more pleasing to his ears—but clearly not theirs—started rumbling from the speakers, the girls weaved in and out of the crowd until they were standing right at the edge of the pool table. He watched, trying not to lick his lips and biting his bottom one instead, as Emma placed both hands on the table and absentmindedly leaned into it, just briefly flashing a little cleavage from the top of her shirt. He wasn't entirely sure how she handled her alcohol but she seemed to be doing okay, which was good enough for him. Neither one of them needed to be drunk tonight…especially since he didn't want either one of them to regret anything in the morning.

He cocked an eyebrow as Juice attempted to discreetly walk around the pool table and whisper something into Dawn's ear, glancing around the crowd to make sure Tig was nowhere in sight. Jax followed suit and shrugged when he saw the curly-haired sicko bent over the crow-eater he'd just tossed aside. Juice was in the clear.

He watched, amused, as Juice finished talking to Dawn and then turned back to the pool table, scratching his head sheepishly.

"I…uh…I gotta go take care of something outside." Juice breathed out hurriedly as he backpedalled out of the clubhouse, casting a few glances over his shoulder as he went.

"Sure you do, brother." Bobby called after him with a dramatic eye roll. "Thanks for splittin' out on our game, you asshole!"

"That fucker is in way over his head," Jax muttered under his breath.

"Got that right, brother." Opie chuckled next to him as he took a drag from his cigarette. "Tig is gonna rip him a new asshole the second he catches them red-handed."

"Nothing seems to be off-limits anymore." Bobby reasoned soberly. "I remember seeing that girl runnin' around here in diapers and now she's runnin' off to do God knows what with that dickhead…it makes me a little sick just to think about it, actually-glad she's not my kid."

"Yeah, well," Jax exhaled. "Let's just hope Tig doesn't do too much damage—even if shit for brains has it comin' to him."

Opie just chuckled again as he lined up his next shot. "I bet Juice is really wishing right now that Tig was locked up like Big Otto, huh? That would make it a little bit easier to be tappin' his daughter, don't you think?"

Jax's eyebrows rose at the thinly veiled dig and he decided it was best not to draw any more unnecessary attention to the fact that he hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from Emma all night. His eyes quickly shifted back to the other side of the pool table for reassurance that Emma hadn't caught the tail end of that conversation and exhaled with relief when he saw that Emma and Dawn were huddled up in conversation. Emma rolled her eyes at something Dawn had just said and whispered something back to her, shaking her head as she ran a hand through her hair. A few beats later, Dawn left her standing at the pool table alone, following in Juice's wake.

When her eyes flew to his, he grinned widely as he leaned into the cue stick in his hands. Finally, the opportunity he was waiting for. Thank you, Juice.

* * *

><p>As Emma leaned into the pool table, she tried to look anywhere but at Jax, who was currently standing directly across from her with a cue stick in his hand. She could feel the heat of his eyes on her—well, she'd felt them on her the second she walked into the clubhouse—and she needed a second to gather her bearings. Especially now that her traitorous best friend just ditched her to hook up with Juice. When she dared to glance his way again, he was still watching her intently and she felt all her blood rush right to her cheeks.<p>

"Hey Em," Jax was saying now with a lazy grin as he leaned into the cue stick. "We still have some left of our game…why don't you take Juice's spot on my team? He's probably not gonna be showin' his face around here anytime soon so you might as well."

She just shrugged and surprised herself when she threw back flirtatiously: "Only if you get me a drink first."

Shit…where had that come from? She didn't necessarily want to be sending him those kinds of signals. But that couldn't stop the shuddering in her chest when his eyebrows rose and his mouth twisted into that sexy lop-sided grin that was quickly becoming her downfall.

"Alright," he replied, the smile reaching up into his eyes. "Yo Sack—get the lady whatever she wants."

The prospect who'd brought her and Dawn the shots before seemed to step up to her from out of nowhere and she almost jumped. Quickly regaining her confidence—she had to remember that she was in the driver's seat here…at least that was what she had to tell herself—she turned to the prospect, who was waiting expectantly for his orders.

"Why don't you bring us a round of tequila shots," she leaned over to him and cupped a hand over her mouth so the rest of the table couldn't hear her. "And bring the training wheels this time, okay? Please?"

A few low chuckles bounded around the pool table and she knew they'd heard her shameful request.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Bobby called from across the table. "Your secret's safe with me."

The prospect seemed to materialize next to her after only a few minutes, carrying a small black tray filled with four shots, a shaker of salt, and a few lime wedges. As the prospect passed around the shot glasses, she quickly snatched the salt and a lime from the tray, avoiding Jax's gaze on her. When her tongue flicked out to lick the space between her thumb and index finger, her eyes shifted to Jax for only a second and her heart clenched in her chest when she found his eyes lingering on her mouth.

As the glasses extended out around the table to toast, Opie clapped a hand around Jax's shoulder. "To Jax holdin' his son for the first time tomorrow!"

A loud cheer erupted from around the table as the glasses rose up even higher. Jax's smirking eyes were still trained directly on her as he tipped the shot glass back into his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut as he swallowed.

When he wiped his mouth and set the glass back on the tray the prospect held out to him, he called out to her from across the table with a wicked grin: "How about another?"

Another shot later, she was starting to feel pretty good. The alcohol was definitely doing its job but she figured it was probably time to stop…she'd had enough to have a good time but not too much that would influence her to do something incredibly stupid. However, there was enough liquid courage in her system to slow her brain just enough to allow herself to let go and have some fun. No more thinking about tomorrow, right?

As they continued finishing up the game, she started to feel looser and looser, not caring that she was bopping slightly to the music in the background and softly singing along to the lyrics.

"I love it when you call me Big Poppa," she swiveled her shoulders a little as she leaned into the cue stick in her grasp. "Throw your hands in the air-a if you's a true play-a…"

She didn't miss the fact that Jax's searing gaze never really left her. When she looked up again, still singing along, his mouth twisted into that lop-sided grin as he maneuvered himself around the table and only a mere foot away from her as he lined up his next shot.

"Most of these fellas think they be mackin' but they actin', who they attractin' with that line, what's your name, what's your sign…" she continued, trying her best to ignore Jax's closeness and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at Bobby, who played along with her as she sang along.

Jax nudged her with his elbow and when he leaned down to her ear, the song was immediately forgotten. "You know, I never pegged you for a Biggie fan but I guess you learn something new everyday, right?"

"Karaoke," she laughed and suddenly she felt herself leaning into him too as she spoke. "Lots and lots of karaoke."

"I'm gonna have to remember that." Jax smirked.

She could've sworn she felt the ghost of his hand on the small of her back but then it was gone. As Opie took the last shot and won the game for him and Bobby, Jax still hadn't moved from his spot. In fact, he just seemed to be inching closer and closer to her, using the cue stick to mask it as much as possible.

By the time the next song came on, Lyla had pulled Opie away from the table and a crow-eater was wrapping herself around Bobby. The pool tournament seemed to be officially over. Jax leaned down to her again and this time, the feel of his hand on her back was unmistakable.

"I think I'm gonna step outside for a cig. Wanna come with? Get some air?"

Some air sounded like a good idea since the clubhouse had slowly been saturated with a smoky haze. And when she found his eyes piercing into her, blue pools of…something…she couldn't say no. So she let him grab her hand and lead her through the maze of partygoers until fresh air hit her face. When they were a few feet away, her hand dropped to her side as he dug his cigarette pack out of his back jeans' pocket.

He puffed away silently for a few moments and his eyes flicked back to hers, a smile crossing his lips as he took another drag and blew the smoke out in the opposite direction of her.

"Havin' a good time?" He asked quietly.

She nodded slowly with a soft smile; she was most definitely having a good time and that was due, in large part, to Jax's closeness to her now.

"How you feelin' about your mom's party tomorrow?" He blew out another cloud of smoke as he spoke.

She just shrugged. "It's not necessarily something I'm looking forward to but I'm an employee…so I guess I have to be there, huh?"

He smirked back as he took another drag. "I guess so. Well, don't worry about it, darlin'. Besides, I'll be there."

She cocked an eyebrow at him with a laugh. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Of course, darlin'; can't leave ya hangin'."

"Wow…" she laughed again. "My hero."

His mouth curved up into that lop-sided grin that was quickly distracting her from the fact that they were finally alone. She hadn't exactly counted on this quite yet…even though, she'd known they were headed for this the second she'd walked through the clubhouse doors. She was starting to feel a little agitated just standing there in front of the clubhouse like that with him.

"You know," she tilted her head to the side as she spoke. "I bet Dawn and Juice are out here somewhere…"

He grinned and flicked the cigarette butt onto the gravel at their feet. "Well…I think that calls for a hunting expedition, don't you?"

She laughed and bit her lip. "I agree. Besides, she kinda has it coming to her for ditchin' me."

"Absolutely she does, darlin'." He shot back with a wide grin as he jutted out his elbow for her to take.

She laughed again and slid her arm through his as they headed out around the clubhouse where it was a little bit darker. They had to be around here somewhere and while part of her was more than a little apprehensive about what they were going to potentially find in this darkness, there was no way she was going to turn back now. He slowed down a little as she bent over to flip her heels off, gripping them by the edges with her other hand still linked through his arm.

They poked their heads around another dark corner of the clubhouse and she had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter when some very suspicious noises echoed through the darkness.

Jax leaned down to her again and whispered into her ear with a laugh, "Shh…they're gonna hear us."

As they crept a little bit closer, the back of Juice's mohawk illuminated in the moonlight and Jax broke out into a run, kicking Juice right in the ass as he barked out a laugh.

"Jesus Christ!" Juice yelled and Emma covered her mouth, doubling over in laughter when she saw Dawn's panic-stricken face peeking out from behind Juice's shoulder.

"Em!" Dawn whispered harshly. "What the hell are you guys doing? Do you wanna get us killed?"

"Okay, okay," Jax held up his hands in mock-defense. "Sorry to interrupt the party. We'll let you two go back to…uh…whatever it was you were doin'."

"We're gonna discuss this later, Emma!" Dawn's voice called out from behind her as she stumbled backwards, too caught up in laughing to really pay attention to where she was going, and almost slipped on the slick grass beneath her feet.

Jax's hand immediately shot out around her waist to steady her. "Whoa…careful there, darlin'."

She just giggled again, covering her mouth to hide her laughter as her other hand reached out for his shoulder. They started walking back the other direction, Jax with his arm still draped around her waist and Emma still leaning into his shoulder. When their laughter slowly subsided, she realized that they were walking directly into yet another dark and well-hidden crevice behind the clubhouse and stepped towards it, slipping out of his grasp as she backpedalled until her back hit the wall behind her, her heels slipping out of her hand and dropping onto the grass below.

She knew what was going to happen next. She'd thought about this moment more times than she cared to admit—both before and after their encounter at the hospital—and now that it was here, the fluttering in her stomach still surprised her. But it wasn't nervousness…there was none of that. There was just anticipation.

Even as Jax followed her deeper into the darkness, she could still see his eyes shimmering in the moonlight and shivered under his touch when he reached out to cup her face with one hand and slid the other gently around her waist. She closed her eyes for a moment, to savor this, and when they flipped open again, Jax's mouth was descending on hers. It started out soft and slow as his lips moved gently against hers and when her lips parted, his tongue slid into her mouth. He stepped forward until he was pressing himself completely against her, the hand on her hip wrapping around her as it pulled her tighter into him.

Her hands were twisted in his hair and she couldn't stop herself from pulling him closer. That was all she wanted right now. Just to be closer. That was the only real coherent thought she could process. His lips were started to move against hers faster, his tongue was flicking inside her mouth with more intensity, and a soft gasp flew from her throat at the feeling…her entire body felt like it was on fire.

As if it had a will of its own, her left leg reached up and curved around his waist, squeezing him in just about as close to her as she could get him. The hand locked around her waist slid down to pull her thigh tighter around him and then it was slowly snaking its way up her thigh and through the fabric of her skirt which had since rolled up to her hips. His hand glided all the way up until it closed roughly around her ass, pulling her against him again and she was grateful she'd decided to wear a thong as he groaned into her mouth when his hand came in contact with her bare skin. Her hips started grinding against the front of his jeans as his hand ran all the way around her ass. His fingers started to play with the edge of her underwear and she had to take a tight fistful of his cut to keep her balance.

His fingers continued their exploration as his lips dipped down to run a trail down the side of her neck. She sighed loudly at the feel and jutted her hips out into him again when his fingers slid through the tiny fabric at the back of her thong to give him better access.

A bright glare shone across her face and her eyes flew open when she realized the glare was coming from headlights. Her eyes widened when the squad car came into clearer view and she immediately jerked her leg down from around his waist.

"Jax…cop car…" she whispered hoarsely as he abruptly tore his lips from her neck to turn towards the car.

"Shit!" He exhaled loudly and quickly untangled himself from her, sliding his hand out from underneath her skirt and then both hands were at her hips to help her straighten herself out a little, pushing her skirt back down in its place.

He tugged at the collar of his cut and ran a hand through his hair as he stepped away from her enough to give her some space to collect herself. As he craned his neck to make out just who was inside the squad car, his fingers clasped around her hand to pull her more out into the open.

"Come on, darlin'," he whispered in her ear. "Let's see what the hell this is all about."

As they approached the squad car, she immediately recognized David Hale stepping around from the driver's seat. But she had no idea who his passenger was. The closer they got, the better view she had of the tall blonde woman in an ill-fitting grey pantsuit. The blonde woman's face spread into a toothy, almost wolfish grin when she saw them approaching and she instinctively edged a little closer to Jax. This woman immediately made her nervous…and it seemed like she was looking at them like they were something to eat.

"Mr. Teller!" The woman called out to them when they were standing about ten feet apart. "It's nice to finally meet you. I hope we're not spoiling the party."

"Interruptin' is more like it," Jax called back with a cocky grin. "And you are?"

The woman continued to step closer with Hale right on her heels. "I'm Agent June Stahl—I'm here in Charming to work with Deputy Hale on an ATF case. I'd shake your hand but I have a pretty good idea of where they've just been."

Jax just kept smiling at her, his head tilting to the side as he assessed her. "And what case are you workin' on exactly?"

Agent Stahl put a hand on her hip and grinned back slyly. "Well, now, Mr. Teller, that's privileged information."

Her hawk-like black eyes flicked over to Emma and she felt a wave of uneasiness flood through her under Stahl's stare.

"Ah…you must be Emma Delaney. This is very sweet, you know…coming out from behind the clubhouse like two disheveled, star-crossed lovers…also very classy, by the way, but I would expect nothing less."

Jax's eyes narrowed dangerously at that and took a step to advance on her.

Stahl just held up a hand with a smile. "Now, now, Mr. Teller…I'm not here to cause any trouble or encroach on your Friday night. I just wanted to introduce myself and this seemed like a good opportunity…ah, reinforcements, I see."

They turned to the right to see Clay, Bobby, Tig, and Opie, among other hang-arounds and crow-eaters flocking out of the clubhouse to see what was going on. Clay, immediately sensing the seriousness of the situation, wasted no time to get within two inches of Stahl's face.

"Where's your warrant?" He spat.

Stahl held up her hands. "No warrant, no investigation. I'm just here to pay a friendly visit and welcome myself to the neighborhood. It was nice meeting all of you…I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."

She threw another snake-like grin over her shoulder as she stepped back into Hale's squad car and waved as they pulled away. The uneasiness spreading through Emma's stomach was still lingering even as Jax pulled her closer to where Clay was standing. She slid her hand out from his to give him the privacy he needed with Clay, not needing to hear that conversation. It was none of her business anyways.

He glanced at her briefly as she slowly backpedalled into the clubhouse, almost grateful for this distraction since she figured no one was going to be asking her what she was doing outside with Jax after this. A quick scan of the clubhouse told her that the party was slowly dispersing—an appearance from a squad car was usually enough to kill the atmosphere—and she breathed a sigh of relief when she found her purse exactly where she'd left it, and forgotten it, almost an hour earlier.

The prospect who'd been bringing them drinks all night waved awkwardly at her as she plopped down on a barstool to dig through her purse for her phone. When she found it, she quickly flipped through the two text messages from Dawn, grateful to have a distraction from what she and Jax had just been doing. When she read Dawn's texts, she rolled her eyes and shook her head. She'd figured this was going to happen—Dawn and Juice had retreated back to the safety of their apartment, which, unfortunately, was bad news for the rest of her night.

"Everything alright?" Jax's voice called out softly from behind her.

She turned her head to see him approaching her and she blew out a breath as she tossed her phone back into her purse. "Yeah…I just got a few texts from Dawn saying her and, um, you know who are back at our apartment…which is code for don't come home for awhile."

He shrugged and ran a hand over his stubble in thought. "Well, you could crash here, you know. You probably shouldn't be driving yourself home anyways…"

She frowned and chuckled as she did a quick once-around the room with her eyes. "And sleep where exactly?"

He just shrugged again. "I got a dorm, a bed…some clean clothes you can sleep in."

Her eyebrows creased into her forehead as she tried to wrap her mind around this suggestion. "And where would you sleep?"

His lips twisted into a cocky grin and he just shrugged again. "I got a floor too, darlin'."

Overall, this didn't necessarily seem like the best idea. She hadn't entirely worked out just how far she was willing to stretch her boundaries that night but she also hadn't factored in the possibility of sleeping in the same room as him either. That kind of threw a gigantic wrench what little semblance of a plan she had. On the one hand, even though she hadn't had all that much to drink that night, she didn't feel like risking it even though Dawn had graciously left her the car. So if she wasn't driving home, she didn't have a whole lot of options. But on the other hand, sleeping in his dorm could prove to be very risky on a whole other level.

But her mind was pushing her towards something different now—if he truly just slept on the floor, what was the harm in that? He had already pushed up against, literally and figuratively, the limits of where she'd mentally told herself he could go. So, really, he'd already exhausted the edges of her parameters. At least for the night.

Baby steps, she told herself. Baby steps.

* * *

><p>He didn't typically make a habit out of appreciating that his mother changed the sheets on his dorm bed and cleaned up the piles of clutter. Usually, her manic cleaning and 'tidying up', as she called it, was annoying as shit. He honestly couldn't care less if the room smelled like moldy pizza and pussy. And he definitely couldn't have given two shits if there were empty beer cans, dirty dishes, and even dirtier clothes thrown around the room. The bat-shit crazy ex-wife, the certifiably insane porn pussy, or another other girl who'd been in his dorm—the exact number was still a mystery to him—had never seemed to care if his dorm was trashed and frankly, he wouldn't have really cared if they had. Tonight, however, was a different story.<p>

The faucet in his bathroom was still running and he blew out an agitated exhale as he tossed one of the pillows from his bed onto the floor in front of him. He needed another damn cigarette to calm himself down. He couldn't lose his shit. Not tonight. He'd almost lost it completely when he'd had her pinned against the clubhouse wall in the darkness, feeling her up like some kind of horny teenager. Not that he hadn't enjoyed every second of it…but he hadn't intended to let it go that far. Shit, they'd been right out in the open for Christ's sake.

But when his hand slid up her smooth skin and found the edge of her lacy thong, he'd been just about ready to bury himself in her completely. He was pretty sure that was something both of them would've had some regrets about in the morning.

Of course, the appearance of that ATF bitch hadn't really helped matters but the club had collectively decided to bring that particular matter to the Redwood in the morning. It was already hedging on 2 am and half the club was already either facedown on the floor or in some pussy to really be able to deal with this shit now. Still, it's not like they had anything to be seriously worried about. Business with the Mayans and the Niners was firing on all cylinders. There were no problems there. Every protection run, every meeting, all under protocol. There was no way the ATF could have anything concrete against them but that didn't mean the bitch wasn't going to be digging—that much was clear when she'd recognized Emma. The bitch had obviously done her homework and then some.

He lit up another cigarette just for good measure and stood up to rummage around the desk across from the bed to find an ashtray. Cursing under his breath, he pushed some papers around until he finally found what he was looking for and flicked some ash onto it. When the bathroom door slowly opened, he felt like his body was moving in slow motion. His head turned, on reflex, to look at her as she emerged from his bathroom and then he almost dropped the ashtray in his hand.

She was lingering in the doorway of the bathroom, her hands rubbing together nervously in front of her but all he could really focus on was the space where his Samcro T-shirt ended and her bare legs began. He knew he was staring but he couldn't stop his eyes from traveling all the way down her legs and then back up to the middle of her thighs. He knew exactly how soft her skin was. He knew exactly what kind of underwear she was wearing because he'd felt it on her bare skin less than an hour before. When his fingers started to twitch at his side, he forced himself to look away, to look at anything else in the room before he sprinted the short distance between them.

So he leaned up against the back of his desk chair as she ventured out into his room and gingerly sat down on his bed. He watched with careful eyes as she glanced around his dorm and then smiled shyly when her eyes flickered over him.

"Thanks for letting me crash here, Jax," she started softly. "I'm sure you're not used to being relegated to the floor in here."

His mouth curved up in an easy smile. "Nah, don't worry about it. I don't mind, darlin'."

She smiled back at him with a low chuckle and started to slide back towards the headboard. It was a miracle he didn't audibly groan when a flash of her underwear peeked out from in between her legs as she scooted backwards. When she started pulling the covers down so she could climb in, he figured now was as good a time as any to drop the question he'd been playing with the entire night.

"Hey…uh," he was a little shocked at the hoarse, almost nervous sound of his own voice. Why was this so fucking difficult? It was a simple question. "Tomorrow at the hospital…when we can hold Abel…I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to…but you'll be there, right?"

It hadn't exactly sputtered out the way he'd rehearsed it in his head but there was nothing he could do about it now. The second he'd gotten the okay from Abel's doctor, he knew instinctively that he wanted her there. That she should be there. He wanted her to be one of the first people to hold his son. But he didn't want her to feel pressured either.

Thankfully, she put him out of his misery pretty swiftly when she started nodding with a wide grin spreading across her features.

"Of course, Jax," she answered quietly. "I'd love to be there."

Blowing out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, he ran a hand unsteadily through his messy hair. "Good…I can't wait to hold the little guy, you know? The last time I held a kid, though, was when Kenny was born and I almost dropped the poor guy right on the hospital floor. Donna never let me hold him again after that."

He smiled sadly at the memory—Donna had split out on Ope only a couple of years later, taking both of their kids with her. He hadn't thought about that in a long time; Opie never mentioned it and even though he had Lyla now…maybe since he was a father now himself, he could truly understand what Ope must have gone through and was still going through.

"I wouldn't worry about it," she was reassuring him confidently now. "I'm sure it's different when it's your kid you're holding and not someone else's."

That actually made him feel a little better. And only made him feel even more jittery about tomorrow. There was a lot to forward to…holding Abel for the first time, seeing both his mother and Emma hold Abel for the first time. He had to admit to—he was even looking forward to Luann's party the next night at CaraCara. If she was going to be there then that was exactly the place he wanted to spend his Saturday night.

For a split second, he contemplated a way that he could kiss her again without it ending up with him under the covers with her. Part of him wanted to kick himself in the balls…never had he ever envisioned himself figuring out how to _not_ end up in bed with a girl. But as she curled up under the blankets and whispered goodnight, he decided to stick to his resolve and actually sleep on the floor without any distractions or disruptions.

He flipped the light off and shrugged his cut off onto the chair as he stalked over to his designated sleeping area. Bending his body down to the rough carpet beneath him, he folded his hands together across his chest and leaned back into the pillow, willing his eyes to shut.

It was going to be a long fucking night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-**Isn't it funny how we think with certain body parts first before our brains catch up? Their history and everything that just happened with Abel and Georgie have made this pretty inevitable but it's going to take them awhile to actually realize what the real driving force behind all that is.

I hope you weren't disappointed with their little rendevous. I thought it was important that they take this gigantic leap forward but for Jax to still respect her 'parameters' and not go too far. They aren't quite there yet and they still have some ground to cover before they make the leap into bed.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!


	6. Proximity

TRUE LOVE WAY

Chapter Six

Jax rolled over to his side and winced at the splinters of pain that shot out from his neck all the way down to his ass. Sleeping on the floor had really fucking sucked. He rubbed his tired eyes as his head slumped back to his pillow. Rays of sunshine were just starting to peek through the dark shutters covering his window and he rolled over again, desperate for just a few more minutes of rest.

Well, he reasoned with exhausted focus, shit could always be worse. He could've been drunk last night _and _had to sleep on the floor. Or even worse, he could've woken up in his bed with Emma recoiling back in disgust. He didn't even want to think about how he'd be feeling if that had happened. Running a tired hand over his face, he vaguely remembered Emma quietly leaving his room about an hour before, whispering another thank you and promising to see him at the hospital later. It was overwhelming clear that he'd made the right choice last night.

He wasn't an idiot. He could've, at the very least, gotten Emma's lacy underwear down around her ankles if he'd decided to crawl into bed with her. But that wasn't necessarily what he wanted, especially not last night. And he was pretty damn sure that wasn't what she really wanted either.

He'd never considered himself the chivalrous type but he was grateful he'd been able to exude at least a little of that impossible persona last night. As he'd laid on the floor and heard her moving around in his bed—she had clearly been still awake—it had taken all of his collective willpower not to leap to his feet and pounce on the bed.

With that last thought, he resigned himself to the resolution that he wouldn't be sleeping anymore. So with a deep exhale, he pushed himself up to his feet and staggered, a little unsteadily, into the clubhouse's kitchen for a much needed hit of caffeine. The condition of the clubhouse barely registered as he weaved around the empty beer bottles and passed out forms, almost tripping over a couple through the loaded minefield. When he stepped into the kitchen, he exhaled a prayer of relief that someone had already been gracious enough to make a hot pot of coffee and he eagerly poured himself a cup.

He'd almost gotten that sweet dose of caffeine to lips when he heard the voice that could launch a thousand shit storms.

"Jackson."

His eyes squeezed shut and took a quick gulp from the cup before turning to face his mother. Gemma stood before him with a hard glint in her stare and a manicured, acrylic nail tapping frighteningly on her bottom lip.

"Morning, Ma. You're here bright and early." He tried to send his most charming wink—and maybe it was because he was just too damned tired—but it epically failed.

"Oh, you know me," Gemma started with her usual snark. "Like to get an early start at cleaning up that damned disaster area out there."

He shook his head. They both knew there were plenty of crow-eaters and prospects hanging around that could easily be shaken awake and tasked with the job. But Gemma Teller-Morrow was too bull-headed and manic about having everything in its proper order to step aside.

Before he even had a chance to get another word in edgewise, his mother abruptly cut to the chase.

"So you wanna explain to me why I saw Emma slinking out of your dorm room an hour ago?"

Shit.

"Ma," he attempted hurriedly. "Nothing happened."

"She's _family_. She's my damn god-daughter for Christ's sake. But if you think for one god damn second that I'm gonna believe that you didn't—"

"She had a little too much to drink last night and needed a place to crash," he interjected anxiously. "I slept on the floor. Pillow's still right where I left it if you don't believe me."

"Why couldn't Dawn take her home? Weren't they supposed to come together?" Gemma was clearly not about to let this go.

"They did but Crazy left before the party wound down. I don't know where she went." He lied. The last thing he needed to do now, other than admit any guilt, was out Juice.

Gemma shot him a frustrated glare. "This isn't rocket science, Jax. You and I, and probably the entire clubhouse, know the only way Dawn was leaving Emma behind last night was if she was leaving with Juice."

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. It was too early in the morning for this shit.

"Tell me nothing happened in that room, Jackson."

Luckily for him, his mother's poor choice of words was about to save him from an ass-kicking. While he was by no means in denial about last night, the logistics of the actual location was a detail he was willing to overlook. At the very least, now he wasn't actually going to be lying.

"Nothing happened in that room, Ma."

Gemma was assessing him now with her eagle-eye glare as she mentally debated his response. But still, she'd have to beat the real truth out of him before he ever slipped it.

"Good." She concluded finally.

He blew out the breath he hadn't know he'd been holding and took another gulp of his coffee.

"I'm gonna give you the same piece of advice I gave Juice." She went on after waiting a beat.

His eyes widened and he gingerly set down his coffee cup on the table next to them.

"You need to watch yourself here. Think this through. Because if you start something with her before you really know what you want, it's not gonna lead to anything but Emma crying herself to sleep and you getting beaten to an inch of your life by Tig."

"Ma—"

She held a hand out to silence him and stuffed the other in a fist at her side. "I'm not finished here, Jax. Let me say my peace and then you can go back to being completely stupid. Now, I'm not sayin' that I don't like the idea of you two together. What I'm sayin' is that you're treading on thin ice here. Samcro family getting involved with a club member has certain implications but you being the VP is a different nut altogether. You need to be the one setting the examples and you cannot set the precedent that female family members of patches can be used and tossed aside."

"Mom—"

She held her hand up again to shut him up. "You also need to respect Otto for the valued member of Samcro that he is and show some loyalty here—I can't imagine he'd be very keen on keeping up his contacts in Stockton if he were to find out his daughter was reduced to a sweetbutt by the VP."

"Mom, I wouldn't do that—"

"I'm sure, Jax," she cut him off with an icy smile. "But we both know you never met a pair a tits and ass you didn't like and Emma certainly fits the bill and then some. I've seen the way you've been panting after her like some horny teenager and after what happened the night Abel was born…look, if you decide to pursue something with her, it had better be with the right intentions."

He blew out a breath. "Or else. I got it…Christ, Mom. Thanks for the ambush."

Gemma just grinned as she leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek. "No problem, baby. I'm just here to help."

"Right."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "So, should I assume that Emma will be meeting us at the hospital after church?"

He decided to throw caution to the wind and winked at her. "'Course, Ma. She's family, remember?"

* * *

><p>Clay pounded the gavel sharply, calling church to order. The club had settled around the Redwood about an hour after Jax's wonderful chat with his mother and he was grateful for the opportunity to focus on a different female that was giving him trouble. He listened intently as Juice relayed all the intel he'd been able to cook up about Agent June Stahl and her ATF business in Charming and unfortunately for them, it seemed like June planned on parking it in Charming for awhile.<p>

It seemed like the ATF bitch had had an embarrassing blow to her career when she'd lost track of an informant while trying to take down some Russian arms dealers two years before. Said informant was made and taken out by the Russians and the case had quickly run cold with the entire blowback landing at Stahl's feet. Ever since then, she'd been steadily working towards regaining her cred and it seemed like the next step in her ladder towards redemption was Charming. Or more specifcally, Samcro.

"I called Rosen this morning just to be on the safe side of things," Clay informed the table. "He said, at the moment, we shouldn't have anything to worry about and I agree with him."

"Until she digs some shit up though." Opie reasoned.

"And there's always some shit lying around beggin' to be stepped in." Bobby agreed.

"So maybe we do a little investigating ourselves," Jax suggested thoughtfully. "Make sure there's nothing to dig up, at least nothing current."

"That ain't a bad idea," Tig confirmed with a nod. "We could start with the Niners and the Mayans. This will probably have a happier ending if we cover our asses—and that starts with making sure those deals don't go sour and we all know they could if they think we can't handle our shit with the ATF."

"So we arrange a fight, maybe make a tournament out of it, get the Niners and the Mayans to the clubhouse, potentially make some money, and get a sit-down with all three clubs—make sure everything's working the way it should. Charming PD might get its panties in a twist about it but there'd be nothing they could do." Jax threw in, a little surprised at his own input in this situation. He hadn't been this assertive in church since he'd brought the CaraCara deal to the table but the way he figured, the sooner the ATF was off their backs, the sooner they could go back to business as usual.

"Do we know if the Niners or the Mayans have any idea Stahl's in town or what she's doin' here?" Bobby asked carefully.

"My best guess is they don't," Jax speculated confidently. "But I think we're all in agreement that we can't fuck around here. We gotta put a tight lid on this thing before something blow's up in our faces."

Clay rose an eyebrow, as if he'd been thinking the exact same thing. "Well, should we take it to a vote?"

The boxing tournament was sent through, hands down, and as a result of his brilliant idea, Jax was tasked with making it happen. This was a major step up for him, a way to prove his intuition for what was best for the club and he was more than up for seeing it through. Especially if they were able to pull off a win with at the fight—that extra padding in their bank accounts, and his role in making it happen, would not go unnoticed by his brothers.

"Before we adjourn here," Clay was saying now, his face breaking out into a wide grin. "Let's end church today on a lighter note—first off, Jax, Bobby, Tig, and Opie—head to CaraCara tonight to represent the club at Luann's party. And our last order of business, some congratulations are in order—our brother, Jax, is gonna hold his son for the first time today."

A wave of cheers and well-wishes erupted from around the table as Clay pounded the gavel, signaling that church was officially over. He basked in the glory of it all as his brothers clapped their hands on his shoulder or pulled him in for a quick, celebratory embrace. Suddenly, he didn't feel so damn exhausted anymore. It was gonna be a fucking good day.

* * *

><p>Emma glanced at the clock again, her leg jumping with biting anxiety as she sat in the chair directly outside of Abel's room. She'd decided to wait to go inside until Jax and Gemma got there but she was getting a little impatient here. Granted, she'd only been waiting five minutes—and she'd gotten there a little earlier than she was supposed to—but she kept craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the little boy she'd soon be holding for the first time.<p>

Agitation was coming at her from all sides but at least she had the benefit, or maybe curse, of knowing exactly where it was coming from. She hadn't necessarily been prepared for Jax to ask her to be here for this but she was overwhelmingly grateful he had. Once she'd gotten the invite, she wouldn't have missed this for the world. Now, all she had to do was wait for Abel's dad and grandma to get there…which, naturally, curved around the other side of her agitation. She had no idea how she would feel when she was face to face with Jax again after the night before. And she had no idea how to tread after not only basically humping and making out with him against the back of the clubhouse but spending the night with him too, even if he'd slept on the floor. The next step was an enigma and that scared the shit out of her.

She heard the light tapping of Gemma's heels before she saw them and her heart fluttered in her chest when Jax came into full view. He swaggered easily towards her down the hallway with a cocky, lop-sided grin spreading across his lips, winking at her as they approached. Gemma swatted playfully him playfully in the shoulder as he broke out into a light jog.

"Hey Em," he sputtered a little breathlessly. "You ready for this or what?"

"Yeah…and I can see you are too." She laughed.

He grinned at her and craned his neck around her head to look for a nurse. "Yo, Claire! We ready to do this? I feel like I've been waitin' all day over here!"

Gemma chuckled and shook her head as she stepped up to his side, resting a hand gently on his shoulder. "Probably best not to order the nurses around, baby."

"Sorry, Ma…can't help myself."

Gemma just shook her head again and cast a glance over to Emma. "Hi sweetheart…long time no see, huh?"

She decided it was best not to acknowledge the veiled accusation radiating from Gemma's stare. She should've known that Gemma had seen her this morning despite her best efforts to creep out from under her nose. That woman missed nothing. Her attention shifted anxiously to Jax, who was scaling the nurses' station for Claire—Abel's regular nurse since the day he was born—or just about anyone that could get the ball rolling. His eagerness was endearing and she was grateful he'd been out of earshot just then.

By the time Claire stepped out from another patient's room and gestured for them to head into Abel's room, Jax was bouncing on his heels and almost plowing poor Claire over to get into the room faster. He didn't stop until he was standing adjacent to Abel's incubator and stared down at his son. When he looked up expectantly to Claire, she smiled broadly before making quick work of getting Abel hoisted up and out of the glass encasement. A beat later, she was gingerly setting the baby into Jax's waiting, slightly trembling arms.

It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion and she could feel her heart thundering in her chest as Jax stared down at his son in complete awe. Her eyes misted over as she watched Jax bend down and place a gentle kiss on Abel's forehead before murmuring something to his son she couldn't quite make out. A few moments later, Jax looked up and grinned widely at both Emma and his mother, who was watching the scene with a shaking hand covering her mouth.

"You wanna meet Grandma?" Jax whispered to Abel as Gemma quickly stepped forward to take her rightful place in Abel's life—her arms extending out to Jax with abrupt impatience.

As Jax carefully transferred his son into grandma's waiting arms, a lone tear trailed down her cheek and then Gemma's face broke out into a wide, proud grin when Abel was finally settled into her embrace.

"Hey there, my beautiful boy. I've been waiting a long time to do this…" Gemma murmured as she gently rocked Abel back and forth in her arms.

He gurgled a little in response, making them all laugh and then Gemma's eyes shifted to Emma. She smiled softly as she delicately stepped closer to her with Abel in her arms.

"Your turn, Emma." She exhaled softly.

She could feel her arms stretching out to take the precious bundle and when the soft fleece blanket graze her arms, everything else just faded away into the background. Abel was staring up at her with alert cobalt eyes—an identical duplicate of his father's—and she took a sharp intake of breath when his tiny fist reached up, his fingers extending towards her. And even if it had started down-pouring in that room, she wouldn't have noticed. Nothing could've torn her eyes and attention away from the tiny little boy nestled in her arms. She was struck, all at once, by his strength, by his resilience, and by the recognition she saw mirrored in his eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes but, thankfully, they never completely materialized on her cheeks. This wasn't the time for crying as the shift she'd felt the moment she'd laid eyes on him twisted around and around until it felt like it was encircling the two of them together.

In a moment of weakness, her eyes shifted up to find Jax, whose gaze was riveted tightly on the two of them, his eyes swimming. His jaw clenched when she smiled shyly over to him and then, after a moment of him just staring at her, his lips slowly slid into a ghost of a smile.

Realizing she'd been monopolizing Abel, she stepped forward to hand him back to his father.

"I think he wants to see his dad again," she whispered softly as she slid Abel back into Jax's arms. He grinned widely down at his son and chuckled when Abel reached up to him with a tiny fist.

"I can't wait to get you home, buddy," Jax murmured.

By the time they were standing next to Gemma's Cadillac, with Jax's bike parked right next to it, she was a little shaken that she still didn't completely feel normal yet. She'd felt a little out of her body since leaving Abel behind in his hospital room—her heart wringing in her chest as she'd stepped away, feeling like she was abandoning him.

"Well, kids," Gemma started happily, shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand as she spoke. "This has been fun but I need to head back to the shop. Hopefully the prospect isn't knee deep in the shit yet."

She leaned forward and pulled Jax into a quick embrace before giving him a peck on the cheek. "I couldn't have been prouder of you today, baby."

Jax beamed down at her and winked. "Thanks, Ma."

Gemma pecked his cheek again before releasing him and pulling Emma to her. "Thanks for being here today, hun. That really meant a lot…now, you make sure my son over there behaves himself tonight, alright?"

She laughed. "I'll do my best, Gemma."

"I'm sure you will," Gemma grinned as she stepped into the Cadillac and started the engine. "See you later, kids!"

They waved as Gemma pulled out of the hospital parking lot. Jax shoved both hands in his pockets and nudged her a little with his elbow.

"That was some pretty amazing shit there, right?" He leaned down to her as he spoke.

"Yeah," she exhaled. "Definitely."

He grinned down at her and then motioned with his head towards the parking lot. They started walking towards her car but it seemed like the closer they got, the slower his pace became.

"So…CaraCara tonight, huh?"

Oh shit. Right.

"Yeah…" she trailed off absent-mindedly.

He tilted his head to the side and blew out a breath. "You need a ride or anythin'?"

"What…no, that's okay. My mom and I are just gonna ride together."

He smiled softly and tucked some stray hair behind his ear. "Alright…so I guess I'll see you over there then?"

She nodded slowly and fiddled with her keys a little, not quite ready to get inside her car yet. "Yeah."

When she felt his hand close around her hip and pull her closer, she let her reflexes take the reigns and slid her hands up around his shoulders until they were wrapped around his neck. She rested her head against his shoulder for a moment, reveling in the feel of his arms settled around her and then pulled back before she got too comfortable.

"Thanks for letting me be here today, Jax," she breathed softly. "It was just…amazing…"

He nodded and then abruptly leaned forward until his lips pressed softly into hers. It wasn't anything like it had been the night before—when his lips had been hungrier and more aggressive in taking what they wanted—and he kissed her slowly, resting a hand gently against her cheek, like he was taking his time. It was gentle…and almost sweet. When he pulled back, he grinned softly before leaning forward again to give her one more quick kiss. She laughed against his lips and then he pulled her against him one more time before actually stepping away.

"I should get going, Jax," she laughed again.

He nodded with a wide, lop-sided grin. "I know, darlin'. See ya later."

She waved at him as she shook her head and started her engine. He was already backpedalling towards his bike, that cocky grin still lingering on his lips and she felt like she might combust right there where she sat in her car. She couldn't remember the last time a kiss or even a look like the one he'd just given her sent her so off-balance and she knew it was definitely not normal for her to feel such an alarming sense of loss the second his hands left her body.

No matter what happened now, she had to keep Dawn's advice swimming around in her head. Boundaries. Parameters. Baby steps. No thinking about tomorrow. She couldn't necessarily see a way this could end well but the pull she'd felt towards him ever since she was teenager had thrown her off the diving board and sent her flying headfirst into the deep end of the pool. Now, it was anyone's guess if she was actually going to be able to tread through it or sink straight to the bottom.

* * *

><p>The re-launchcelebratory party at CaraCara had been in full swing for a good half hour before Emma really started to feel anxious. Beer and liquor were flowing freely. Porn stars staggered around the room in their sky-high heels with their tits bouncing everywhere. There were plenty of dark, discreet places beyond a dressing room that provided amble opportunity. But still, no sign of any biker outlaws.

For probably the tenth time in the span of thirty minutes, she wished Dawn was there. But she'd let Dawn off the hook, having instinctively known that Dawn would much prefer a night in with Juice over an evening with her co-workers at a porn studio. She'd attempted to make it up to her by borrowing her a satin pink tube top, which Emma had paired with black skinny jeans and matching pink heels. And as she glanced around the studio floor, she quickly realized that she was wearing more clothing than pretty much all the party guests, her mother included.

She did her best to mingle but even after a few months with the company, she still felt awkward and out of place there. Lyla was chatting her up a storm and she was grateful they had another connection other than work to talk about as she brought Emma up to speed on her and Opie's plans to buy a house together. She was trying to focus on what Lyla was telling her, she really was, but it was difficult not to keep her focus from shifting towards the front door every thirty seconds or so, wishing for this self-induced form of misery to finally be over with.

But most of all, she was avoiding making any sort of contact with Ima, who was completely basking in the limelight of having two of her 'classics' re-released as a special edition. The other title starred Lyla but Emma noted with careful precision that Lyla was handling the occasion with much more tact and humility than Ima ever could. Ima probably didn't even know what the words 'tact' and 'humility' meant; let alone how to spell them.

Take a deep breath, she told herself. In and out. All she had to do was avoid her and everything would be fine.

She practically leapt out of her skin when Opie and Bobby appeared down the long hallway, with Tig right on their heels. A few beats later and Jax was right behind them. She felt her body loosen up a little just at the sight of him and blew out a relieved breath. Finally. She quickly averted her gaze, not necessarily wanting him to know that she'd been waiting pretty impatiently for him to get there so she turned on a heel and headed for a nearby couch where she'd thrown her purse.

Digging into it for her phone, she scanned the messages—two from Dawn telling her to have fun and not to do anything she wouldn't do. She rolled her eyes and tossed her phone back into her purse. A quick glance around the room told her that Ima was currently attempting to throw her arms around Jax's neck and she immediately, almost impulsively, started rifling through her purse even though she had no idea what she was looking for. When her nervous hands found a tube of lip gloss, she hastily snatched it from the bag and started absent-mindedly applying it.

But when she felt a hand glide softly around her hip, she jumped, the tube of lip gloss tumbling out of her hand. She turned her head only a little as he stepped even closer to her and closed her eyes when his hot breath tickled her neck.

"Hey," Jax murmured into her ear. He'd gotten so close behind her she could feel leather nipping at her bare shoulders. "Told ya I'd be here."

She was turning to face him now and his closeness was making her feel a little light-headed. His hand pressed more urgently into her hip and all she wanted was for him to slide that hand all the way around her waist so he could pull her closer. But they weren't alone.

"Hey Jax," she whispered back.

His lips curved up into a smile and he tilted his head back a little to get a better look at her. "You look real nice tonight, darlin'."

She laughed nervously and for a brief moment, her eyes flitted around the room to give her a second to regain some balance. Her eyes widened when she saw her mother's curious gaze trained directly on them and quickly shifted her attention away before Luann could say or do anything. Unfortunately, her gaze happened to land directly on Ima, who was staring at them with a malicious glint in her eyes, her upper lip curling up in a snarl.

Thank God Luann's voice rang out around the room, dealing a much needed distraction to everything that was swirling around her, from Jax's proximity, from her mother's inquisitive smile on her lips as she waved them over, to the dagger thrust in her chest by the sheer force of Ima's glare. The crowd moved around Luann, who was still waving everyone into the center of the room.

"Alright, alright—everyone grab a glass of something and get your asses over here!" Luann called out with a wide grin.

When she was standing near her mother with the rest of the crowd, she was acutely aware that Jax had never really left her side although now, the hand that had been searing into her hip was now tucked away in his front pocket with his other hand bringing a beer bottle to his lips.

"Since this is a celebration and all," Luann started cheerily. "I just want to thank you all for sticking it with this company through those much shittier times and to our Samcro family for helping us when we needed it the most. And most of all, I want to thank Emma…I'm not sure that we'd still be here if it weren't for you. Thanks for everything, baby."

Her mother's voice caught in her throat as she uttered that last sentence and Emma had to bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep from visibly reacting to Luann's words. She felt Jax nudge her with his elbow and then he was smiling down at her with kind, compassionate eyes. A ghost of a smile crossed her face and then she abruptly turned her attention back to her mother, who was still standing across from her in the crowd.

Luann lifted her glass with a bright grin. "So now if you would all raise your drinks with me, let's toast to this ol' place…resilient and still-standing! Cheers!"

The crowd followed suit as all glasses rose in the air and then tipped back in unison. Emma felt a little unsteady on her feet but it wasn't from the little bit of alcohol she'd already had that night. It wasn't so much Luann's words that had left her head spinning; it was the moist, overwhelmingly grateful expression radiating from her mother's eyes that had done it. She'd held her mother at arm's length for so long and she suddenly had a hard time remembering why she was still doing it.

But, instead of facing these new, confusing emotions head-on, she leaned over to Jax and whispered: "I'll be right back."

He nodded and she could still feel his eyes on her when she pushed the bathroom door open. Part of her felt a little bad for making a quick exit like that but she needed to get away from the crowd, from her mother, from everything so she get a handle on herself. Her chest was tightening at an alarming rate and she needed some space fast.

Thankfully, the bathroom was completely empty. No seedy hook-ups or moaning coming from any of the stalls and she exhaled a loud sigh of relief to finally have some space. She ran her hands over her face before leaning both hands against the countertop to support her weight. Her chest was finally starting to feel a little more normal and when her eyes shifted to her reflection in the mirror, she blew out a deep breath.

A beat later, the door was opening and Ima was sashaying through it, teetering on five inch heels that seemed to make her skirt that much shorter—and sending all the control she'd just mustered right out the window. Great. Just fucking great. A brief flash of a grin crossed Ima's features, as if she could read her mind, as she moved to stand directly next to her at the double sink and she started running a hand through her hair.

They stood there in silence as Emma grew more and more on edge with each second that ticked by. Just as she was turning on her heel to get the hell out of there, Ima's sickly sweet voice rang out through the air.

"You know, I should probably be thanking you for saving my job." Ima stated matter-of-factly, her eyes still trained on the mirror in front of them as she fixed her make-up. "There was no way I wanted to work for Georgie—I mean, that guy is such a perv."

Emma smiled faintly, in spite of the fact that all she wanted to do was get out of that room. "Yeah…right."

Deciding she'd had enough of this conversation, she started backing away from the counter and took a few hurried steps towards the exit, her hand reaching out for the door. She was almost there…so god damn close when the stupid bitch opened her mouth again.

"I have to say though," Ima grinned. "I wasn't expectin' you to come in here all guns blazin' and gettin' this place back into shape. Maybe I just thought you'd be runnin' this place kinda like your mom was."

She frowned, her hand dropping back to her side. What the fuck kind of game was Ima playing here? "What do you mean?"

Ima just shrugged. "The last six months or so, Luann hasn't really seemed all that interested in actually keeping this place going. I think she was too busy fucking Bobby to really notice she'd run us right into the ground though."

Emma inhaled sharply and Ima's eyes glinted triumphantly at the sound, her head tilting a little as her lips curved into a little pout.

"Oh," Ima faked concern. "I thought you knew. Well, I guess you're not as smart as everyone thinks you are after all."

With a smug grin, Ima took one last glance in the mirror and then she was advancing towards the door. Emma couldn't move; she was frozen right where she stood, unable to push down all the images of her mother and Bobby flashing through her head as her brain automatically shifted through all the evidence. She barely even noticed when Ima's clicking heels carried her out of the bathroom because the entire room seemed to be covered in a foggy haze.

Ima was a bitch. Ima had been rude and unwelcoming since day one of her working at CaraCara. Ima had also been sleeping with Jax—as far as she knew, Jax had also put an end to that shortly after Abel was born. They had certainly had their fair share of arguments and disagreements over her habitual tardiness and general conduct at work. And Ima had also been boring holes into them when she'd watching them with murderous eyes only minutes before Luann's speech. There was nothing about Ima that told her she could trust her as far as she could pull her bleached hair from her head. And Ima certainly had cause to try to rain on her parade now.

She wanted to believe, with every fiber of her being, that Luann would never cheat on her father because in spite of all her flaws, she really believed that her mother truly loved her father. But given everything else she knew about Luann, every broken promise, every heartbreak, every personal and emotional disaster both her and her father had had to endure over the years, she'd be hard-pressed to completely toss the accusation aside. Her mother was the poster-child for bad decisions and poor judgment. And if Ima was actually right, if Luann had let some things at CaraCara slide because she was actually fucking Bobby, then…that was something she couldn't even wrap her head around just yet.

And then her brain flicked to a brief moment she's witnessed between her mother and Bobby only a few days before. She'd been coming back from the bathroom after a much-needed break from emails and conference calls—when she'd stepped back into the office, Luann and Bobby were in there now and her mother had had her arms wrapped his neck in a quick hug. Bobby's hand had drifted lower and given her backside a quick squeeze before abruptly releasing her when he realized they weren't alone. At the time, she'd been too distracted by numbers and phone calls she still had to make to really think that much of it. Luann and Bobby had known each other for years and she'd seen Bobby make similar gestures with plenty of other women to know that that was just his M.O.—so she'd just forgotten about it. Now, she realized maybe she'd had the evidence in front of her all along—she'd just been too purposefully ignorant to really see it.

Shit. Shit. Shit. She slammed her hand against the wall and fought the urge to scream into her hand. She could handle a lot of shit from her mom—years and years of experience had taught her that. But if this proved to be true, and she had a sinking feeling that it could be, she didn't know if she could handle this particular gruesome shit.

Her legs were carrying her out of the bathroom before she even registered what was happening and instinct completely took over. Flight or fight, right? What she needed to do now was get the hell out of there before she did something really, really stupid. The party whipped past her in a complete blur until she was standing right behind Jax and tugging lightly on his sleeve.

His head whipped around at the contact and for a split second, his lips twisted into that lop-sided grin that had quickly become one of her favorite sights in the world. But at the moment, she was too distracted by the matter at hand to let his happiness to see her register. When she looked back up at him now, his forehead had a deep crease in it and a hand appeared at her back.

"Can you take me home, please, Jax?" She sputtered out. "I don't have a car here and I…I need to get out of here before I fucking kill somebody."

His eyes widened at her words, which had come out a little more aggressively than she'd intended and then after observing her trembling hands and anxious tapping heeled-toe, he quickly nodded and leaned over to Opie and Tig to say something she couldn't quite make out, even though she had an idea. Then, a beat later, he was turning towards her with worry-leaden eyes.

"Alright, darlin'…you need to grab anything before we split?" He crouched down a little as he spoke.

"Yeah—I just need to get my purse. One second."

She didn't wait for his response and quickly skidded over the couch to grab hold of her purse. When she turned back, her gaze fell on her mother, who was watching her with concern. She couldn't deal with this; she needed to get out of there. Jax was waiting for her by the main hallway, leaning against the edge and watching her every move. When she met him there, he pushed himself off the wall and followed her in stride as they headed towards the front door.

"You wanna tell me what's goin' on here, Em?" His worried voice echoed in her ear but she couldn't look at him.

"I'm sorry to pull you away from the party, Jax…" she trailed off, feeling like her energy was better served propelling her out the door. "I just…I can't talk about it right now, alright?"

His hand moved to the small of her back in response and she still couldn't look at him. When she pushed the front door open, it was difficult to reign in the urge to break out running towards his bike. She felt completely out of her body as he handed her his helmet and slid onto his bike behind him, her arms wrapping themselves securely around her waist. This was the first time she'd ever ridden on his bike and the irony—and the bitter sweetness—of the situation was not lost on her. And as the scenery started to fly past them, she finally allowed herself to curl into his shoulder and just take comfort in his presence.

* * *

><p>Jax had been okay with being out of the loop when they'd left CaraCara; he'd been more than okay with it as they rode to Emma's apartment when he felt her lean her head into his back; he was even okay when they got inside her apartment as she threw her purse onto the ground and angrily flipped her heels off. He was not, however, okay with her downing a glass of wine like it was cold water and then automatically pouring herself another glass. His eyebrow rose when she finished off half of her second glass and then abruptly seized the glass from her hand, his patience quickly wearing thin.<p>

"Hey!" She exclaimed and reached out to snatch the glass back from him, quickly gulping down another drink.

He couldn't hide his exasperation any longer. "Since when do you drink like this, Em?"

She just shrugged her shoulders and took another quick sip before finally setting the glass down on the kitchen counter behind her.

He rubbed a hand over his face and blew out a breath. "What's wrong, Em?"

Her hands nervously rubbed on the sides of her jeans and then she said the most mind-fucking thing he'd ever heard: "Are you hungry?"

He leaned forward, not sure if he'd heard her quite right and when it seemed like he was making her wait too long, she abruptly pushed herself off the edge of the counter and stalked towards the stove, clearly on a mission. He felt like he was in some sort of fucked up mind warp as she rummaged around the cupboards for a few minutes and then started attacking some potatoes with a peeler. It took him a moment to actually realize what she was doing…and to grow increasingly alarmed by the vicious assault she was currently raging on the potato in her hand.

"Hey, Em," his hand gently closed around hers and took the peeler away as he spoke. "Careful now…don't want you peel off some skin here."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I cook when I get pissed off."

He laughed in spite of the growing worry edging around him and hesitantly handed the peeler back to her. "Okay…so what are you makin'?"

"You like mashed potatoes?"

He frowned. "You're gonna make mashed potatoes at 11:00 at night?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him and for a moment, he was grateful to see Emma at least bit back to her normal self. "Yeah…it was the first thing I could think of. Now, do you like mashed potatoes or not?"

He shrugged. "Well, sure, I do; who doesn't?"

She smiled a little and he was starting to feel a little more relaxed now that she had seemed to calm herself down. When she turned back to the cutting board to start halving some peeled potatoes, he decided to try a different tactic to both settle her and get some answers from her. He quietly closed the distance between them and gingerly slid a hand on her face when he was standing right behind her; he waited for her knife to stop moving so he didn't startle her before pressing his lips gently to her neck. She sighed deeply and he could feel her body immediately relax as she leaned back into him.

"What's wrong, Em?"

She exhaled again and he stepped aside to give her some space as she moved over to the sink, filled up a pot, and then set it back on the stove. When she turned back to face him, her arms were folded tightly across her chest with a pained expression.

"I think my mom might be sleeping with Bobby."

Shit. That wasn't at all what he'd been expecting to hear…well, he hadn't really known exactly what was going on but this…shit. No wonder she needed to leave as suddenly as she did.

"Do you…" she stammered up at him with wide eyes. "Do you know if that's true or not?"

He shook his head sadly, wishing he had an answer for her to either set her mind at ease or confirm her worst suspicions, even if it would most likely suck like dick to do it. At this point, he was willing to do just about anything to help her now, anything to make her feel better.

"I'm sorry, Em," he replied finally. "What makes you think that though?"

"When I was in the bathroom with Ima before," she paused when his eyes narrowed dangerously and just shook her head. "Let me finish, okay? She mentioned something about my mom not realizing or caring that CaraCara was being run into the ground because she was too busy fucking Bobby and then…at first, I figured she's just being a bitch, you know? That seemed exactly the type of thing she'd say to piss me off and ruin my night."

He nodded, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides. Yeah, that sounded exactly like something that damn bitch would say. She was fucking lucky—for all the violence he knew he was capable of and as much as he wanted to slam her head into a wall—that was a place he would never let himself go.

"But a few days ago," she continued softly. "I saw her and Bobby in the office…they were hugging…he put his hand on her ass…I mean, come on, Jax, that's not something you do if you're just friends."

He made a face and ran a hand over his face. She was right. Especially given the fact that, at his first opportunity, he'd gone directly for her ass too…what had happened the night before wasn't something that happened between friends. Bobby was most likely tapping Luann and probably had been since he took over the books at CaraCara. If anything, that definitely explained why the bastard had put his own money in to save Luann's company.

"I guess I was just too busy, too distracted and I just didn't think much of it at the time. But when Ima said that—whatever her intentions were—it just kinda clicked. I just can't believe she would cheat on my dad like that…I know he's been in prison for a long time and I know there's that rule…"

"The prison clause." He finished for her.

"But I thought she loved him. I guess I thought that a clause wouldn't make a difference."

He watched as she turned to give the potatoes a good stir and then took the pot off the heat so she could drain it. The way she moved around the kitchen in deep thought, quickly mashing up the contents of the pot and pouring some shit in it—milk and butter and some other things he'd quickly lost track of—all of it completely fascinated him. He'd never seen this side of her and quite frankly, he'd never even known it'd existed. But he definitely liked it.

"Look, Em, I can't speak for your mom and I definitely can't say whether or not this true so maybe you should just talk to her. That's the only way you're ever gonna know for sure and you know you're gonna go a little crazy until you do."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," she nodded. "You know, as much as it would fucking suck if this was true maybe on some level this was a blessing in disguise, maybe this was the push I needed because I just don't know how much longer I can work there anyways…even if I wouldn't have to potentially watch my mom cheat on my dad."

He rose an eyebrow and she just smiled shyly back up at him as she messed around in the pot a little more.

"You thinkin' about doin' what we talked about?"

She turned back to him with a wooden spoon in her hand. "I started on a business plan a few weeks ago; I feel pretty good about it right now…I guess all I need to do is head to the bank to see about a loan."

"That's fucking great, Em." He couldn't have masked his relief and excitement if he tried. Part of him was expecting her to turn this into a drama-filled thing but aside from her abrupt departure from the party and some heavy drinking, she seemed to be handling it pretty well.

She nodded slowly, biting her lip in thought, and scooped some mashed potatoes into a bowl and poured some brown liquid over it before handing it to him. When he looked down at the bowl, his eyes widened.

"Whoa…Em, why are my mashed potatoes green?"

"I put a little bit of wasabi in them…it's pretty good, especially when you put some soy sauce on them too." She shrugged, shooting him a playful grin.

He decided just to go for it and shoved a forkful into his mouth. When all the different textures and flavors sprouted out on his tongue, his eyes widened and he hastily took another bite.

"Wow," he exhaled with his mouth still full. "These are the best fucking mashed potatoes I've ever had…shit, I think you better open up a restaurant or something with the way you cook."

She shrugged and smiled back at him. "Actually I was thinking of going the café angle. Charming really doesn't have anything like that and I figured, I might as well give it a shot, you know?"

He followed her into the living room and plopped himself down next to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as she leaned into him. He took a few more gigantic bites from the bowl, feeling like he was in heaven with every bite and squeezed her shoulder. This was comfortable, sitting on the couch with her like this and eating the fruits of her fucking amazing cooking. As his thoughts drifted back to his earlier conversation with his mother, he realized that while he still hadn't exactly nailed down what he wanted here, he knew instinctively that this was a little more than just pussy now—especially since he hadn't even gotten it yet. And he still couldn't quite put into words what he'd felt when he'd watched Emma hold Abel earlier at the hospital. The two of them just looked so fucking perfect together.

Her head pressed into his shoulder and when he felt her cheek turn to his, his neck bent down until he had easy enough access to her lips and pressed a gentle kiss to them. Her arm reached up and wrapped around his neck to pull him closer and then he felt himself instinctively pressing her down to the couch until her head fell just beneath the headrest. He fit easily in between her legs and almost groaned out loud when he felt her hips shift up and towards his waist. When her lips moved down to his neck and her tongue flicked out against his skin, he couldn't stop himself from shivering against her.

"What are you doin' to me, darlin'?" he asked hoarsely. Of course, it was more a rhetorical question than anything. She knew exactly what she was doing to him.

She just laughed against his skin and resumed her achingly slow ministrations up and down his neck until he couldn't wait any longer and recaptured hold of her lips with his. The hand that had been itching all night to touch her bare skin slowly traveled up the side of her shirt, going slow enough to give her plenty of time to stop him. When his fingers scaled the edge of her bra, he waited a beat and then curved his hand around her round tit. He started to massage his handful of perfection and grinned into her lips when her hips continued grinding up into him. One of her hands had snaked up underneath his cut and up the edge of his T-shirt, trailing up his back with a feather-light touch that made him groan into her mouth. What set him off-balance the most about this was how different it felt. He wasn't grabbing her up by the ass and carrying her into her bedroom so he could pound her. And he definitely wasn't ripping her clothes off so he could pound her on the couch either. He was taking his time with her, wanting to savor it all.

"Oh shit."

Jax's head snapped up at the sound and his hazy focus quickly registered that Juice was standing about ten feet away in the dark hallway, his eyes wide as boulders.

"You better not be stretching out my shirt, Jax," Dawn popped up from behind Juice with a smug grin.

He quickly untangled his hand from underneath the shirt and sat up, pulling Emma along with him. She looked absolutely mortified as a hand went out to straighten her hair and he quickly realized, with heavy disappointment, that the night was now pretty much over due to cockblock one and cockblock two.

"Don't worry, bro," Juice just shrugged his shoulders as he gestured between them. "I won't tell anyone if you won't."

He just rolled his eyes and shook his head. That definitely didn't help the situation and just made it all the more awkward. He shifted his attention back to Emma, whose cheeks had since turned a light shade of pink.

"I think maybe I should get goin'," he leaned over to her.

She bit her lip and nodded slowly, her hands moving to the top of her tube top to pull it up a little more. He took that as his signal to really get moving and pushed himself off the couch, heading straight for the door. He turned a heel back and winked at Emma, not wanting to leave without letting her know that she didn't need to be embarrassed, before heading out the door. He certainly wasn't. In fact, he was pissed they'd been interrupted.

* * *

><p>Emma shut the door behind him and leaned up against it, mentally cursing her nosy roommate and best friend for interrupting. She blew out a breath and winced before popping her eyes open to see Dawn's smug face in front of her.<p>

"So…" Dawn started cheekily. "Payback's a bitch, right?"

She just rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the door, starting to head towards her bedroom.

"Whatever happened to boundaries? Parameters? Baby steps? Right out the window, huh?"

She bit her lip to keep from laughing and threw her hands up in the air. "I was well within my limits, thank you very much. And thanks for interrupting, by the way. That was great."

She didn't wait to hear Dawn's response, instead opting to keep moving towards her room. In spite of her best efforts, she still heard Dawn's laughing voice calling out to her:

"Well, I'm glad Jax liked that shirt, you whore!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN-**Don't worry; Ima will get hers eventually. Anyways, Jax and Emma was edging closer and closer here...they've definitely already laid down the foundation for a mature, respectful relationship, even if they don't know it yet. Like I've said before, it will still take them a while to realize the legitimate feelings behind it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There's more action, more drama, and more trouble on the horizon. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Please let me know what you think...any feedback is helpful to me and definitely keeps me going! R/R!


	7. Best Laid Plans

TRUE LOVE WAY

Chapter Seven

Emma couldn't stop her hands from trembling as she ran a dryer through her hair. Her stomach felt like someone had literally reached inside and deliberately twisted it into a series of impossible knots. Jax had told her she had nothing to worry about but now that she had actually convinced herself to do it, she didn't feel so confident. She was absolutely terrified.

After that night at CaraCara, she'd spent the next few days putting the finishing touches on her business plan and had even scaled downtown Charming, what little there was of it, for the perfect location. She knew she had a solid plan and she knew she'd covered all her bases so when the first credit union she approached flatly turned her away without so much as flipping to the second page, it had taken her a moment to realize the majority of it had had to do with her last name. It wasn't the first time someone in Charming had looked down their nose at her for who her parents were and it definitely wouldn't be the last, but that didn't mean it stung any less. She'd been so disappointed, so discouraged but that still didn't take away the shock of who the first person she wanted to talk to was. It wasn't Dawn. And it certainly wasn't her mother.

She could tell right away that he was working at TM but he'd picked up on the second ring and had talked her off the ledge, convincing her that she just needed to keep trying—there were plenty of other banks and credit unions in the greater Charming area. So with a renewed sense of determination, she'd tried another bank, and gotten approved—only now she needed a co-signer. She hadn't hesitated to call Jax a second time that day and he hadn't hesitated to answer.

His solution to her problem was, even now as she was getting ready to finally have the conversation, a logical but completely frightening one. She had zero idea what Luann's reaction was going to be and she just…she didn't think she could take seeing the disappointment and hurt in her mother's eyes when she told her she wouldn't be working at CaraCara much longer. Luann just seemed so excited to see her everyday there and mentioned at least a few times a week how wonderful it was that they could spend that kind of time together. She didn't want Luann to think she wanted that to stop…it was just time for her to move on, especially if she was having sex with Bobby.

She sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror. That was just yet one more thing she'd yet to tackle. Maybe it was better all around if she just didn't know.

Her mind drifted back to her conversation with Jax…"maybe your mom will surprise you", he'd told her. Maybe he was right. Especially given the fact that she truly didn't have many other options. Dawn had even less credit history than she did and it wouldn't be right to ask Gemma or Tig, even if they basically were like second parents to her. But it was time to really start acting like an adult here…if she wanted the loan, if she wanted her own business, she couldn't let one detail get in the way of that.

With a deep sigh, she refocused her attention on finishing her hair—she only had about an hour before meeting her mom for lunch and she just needed to get through this. She could do it. She had to.

When Dawn came barreling into the bathroom, almost knocking her right off her feet, she barely had time to realize what had hit her. She watched, completely numb, as Dawn ripped open the toilet seat and emptied her stomach inside it. Dawn reached up with a weak hand to flush the toilet and then slumped over to her feet, her head in her hands.

"Dawn?"

She took a cautious step forward and then put her hands on her knees to lean forward. Dawn's hands were still covering her face and her shoulders had started to tremble. For a split second, she felt a wave of déjà vu rush over her and her mind flashed to a memory that felt and looked a lot like the one in front of her now. Quickly shaking those dark thoughts from her head, she put a tentative hand on Dawn's shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Dawn?" Emma tried again.

Her fingers slowly slid off her face and Dawn squeezed her eyes shut before finally snapping them open to meet her head-on and Emma felt her heart sink into her stomach when Dawn's frantic, blood-shot eyes scanned over her.

"I think…" she whispered hoarsely. "I think I might be pregnant."

Emma nodded slowly and tried to press a reassuring smile onto her face. "Okay…okay…um, have you taken a test yet?"

When Dawn shook her head, Emma blew out a quick breath. "Okay, we're gonna figure this out, Dawn, alright? Let's run to the drugstore, grab a test, and then you'll know for sure."

The familiarity of this situation made her blood run cold and she had to swallow down the images that were flashing through her mind. She needed to focus on Dawn now…she'd always known the day would come where she'd be able to return the favor and well, it seemed like that day was today.

* * *

><p>"There's still just one pink line, Em…that's good, right?"<p>

Emma chewed nervously on her bottom lip as she read through the instructions again. It had been awhile since she'd had to navigate through the headache-inducing pamphlet in her hands and she wanted to be absolutely sure that she was reading this right.

"Well," she answered slowly. "One line is the tester; we're looking for a second line though, remember? We've still got…at least another minute to wait here."

Dawn jumped off the toilet again and resumed her pacing around the bathroom, unable to look at the thin, white, and menacing pregnancy test resting next to the sink. She was chewing nervously on her thumbnail and then rubbed her face anxiously with her hands.

Another quick glance at the clock on the wall told her that time was up…she lifted her eyes to Dawn for a brief moment before glancing back at the test. Shit.

"Is it done?"

Dawn had finally ceased her pacing and was staring back at her with wide, terrified eyes, her body moving towards the sink. She leaned over and peered at the test. Emma could see her entire body tensing as her mind started to wrap around the results. She snatched the test from the counter to bring it closer and then flung it back into the sink, her hands moving to cover her face.

"Shit, shit, shit…what am I gonna do?" Dawn looked back to her with tears sliding down her cheeks. "I don't think I'm ready for this…I don't think Juice is ready for this. Oh fuck! My dad is gonna kill him…he's gonna murder the father of my baby right in front of me, I just know it!"

Emma tried to put her hands on Dawn's shoulders in a weak attempt to pacify her but Dawn just continued sobbing into her hands.

"Dawn—"

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my fucking god," Dawn continued—now near hysterics. "What am I gonna do….I can't raise a baby on my own…"

"Dawn—"

"I'm not ready for this...I'm not ready for this…"

Emma was just about to say something, anything to try to get her calm down or at the very least, attempting to think a little more coherently when they heard someone pounding furiously on the door. Dawn froze and stared back at her as they listened.

"Were you expecting Juice?" Emma asked quietly.

Dawn quickly shook her head and frowned. "Were you expecting Jax?"

"What? No…Jesus, I'll go answer the door. Just stay here."

She ran an exasperated hand through her hair as she walked over to the door. When she flung it open, her eyes just about fell out of her head.

"Mom?"

She barely had time to register Luann throwing her arms around her and then pulling back to get a better look at her.

"Sweetie…are you alright? What happened? I've been trying to call you...we were supposed to meet for lunch, remember?"

Emma closed her eyes and winced. "I'm so sorry, Mom…I didn't forget; well, it's just that something came up and I got distracted and…"

Luann frowned and poked her head cautiously around the side of the kitchen as she spoke. "Is everything alright? Where's Dawn? Is she alright?"

Her mom was asking too many questions for her to even think about being able to respond to one of them. Hell, there was too much going on for her to really wrap her head around any of it. It was only 11:00 in the morning and it felt like enough shit had already gone down to last a week.

Before Emma could stop her, Luann took a few more cautious steps into the apartment until she was standing directly across from the bathroom, her eyes shifting carefully from Dawn, who was staring at her like a deer caught in headlights, and the pregnancy test in the sink.

A split second later, Luann was closing her arms around Dawn and pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Oh sweetie," Luann breathed soothingly. "Everything's gonna be alright…everything's gonna be alright."

Emma watched breathlessly as Luann gently stroked Dawn's hair and she squeezed her a little tighter, giving her the only comfort a mother could give. It was unsettling to see her mother actually acting like a mother, even if was towards her best friend when she needed it the most, and she had to swallow down the mixed feelings swirling around in her. For a moment, she wondered if this scene would've looked the same had she called her mom instead of Dawn but then quickly shook herself out of it. This was about Dawn now, not her old shit.

"Look, Dawn," Luann was saying now, holding Dawn out by her shoulders. "Everything is gonna work itself out here. I know it seems bad now and I know it's scary but hey, you love Juice, right?"

Dawn sniffed and nodded.

"And he loves you, doesn't he?"

Dawn wiped a stray tear from her face and nodded again.

"So, that's all there is to know, sweetheart. You'll figure out the rest of the details together. You made a baby, Dawn—that's the most perfect miracle there is in this world. There's nothing better than that, sweetie. Nothing better. You're gonna be a great mom, I just know it."

She watched in amazement as her mom's words slowly sunk in and Dawn started to visibly relax. Her face didn't look quite as pale as it had before, she was breathing less erratically, and her shoulders weren't shaking anymore. The only real evidence of the near-disaster that remained was the path of now drying tears that still glistened on her cheeks.

"Thanks, Luann." Dawn sniffed and pulled her into a quick hug. "I think I'm feeling a little better…"

"Not quite so freaked out, huh?" Luann laughed. "It'll still take some time for everything to sink in. I remember it took almost a month for reality to really set in when I found out I was pregnant with Emma. You just need to give it some time, talk to your man…figure out the details."

"If my dad doesn't gut him first," Dawn muttered.

"Maybe it won't be as bad as you think," Emma reasoned quietly from where she stood behind them. "Once you and Juice are the same page about everything…then you can figure out how to tell him."

"He'll come around eventually too," Luann confirmed with a quick smile.

Dawn exhaled deeply and ran a hand through her slightly messy hair. "Right…right."

Luann smiled brightly and wrapped an arm around both of them to pull them in closer. "Why don't all three of us go out for lunch, huh? We can sit down, relax, have some girl time…"

Emma still had no idea how to reconcile this version of her mom. She'd never seen her step up to the plate like this and diffuse a situation before…there'd been plenty of times she could've used that when she was a teenager, and if she was being completely honest with herself, when she was in college too. Of course, hindsight being what it was, she probably would've rebuffed any attempt her mom could've possibly made. But still…this was something she'd never thought she'd ever see. Maybe her mom had truly gotten her shit together.

When they were sitting in a booth at the restaurant, she realized that there was something she had needed to accomplish during her lunch date with her mom. Why couldn't anything ever be simple? Why did everything always have to be so damned complicated? On the plus side, Dawn seemed calmer—in fact, her outlook seemed to have dramatically altered since she'd barreled into the bathroom just a few hours before.

Still, there was a conversation she needed to have with her mother and if she didn't do it now, she wasn't sure if she'd ever muster up the courage to attempt it again.

"Hey mom," she started weakly after the waitress took their orders. "You know how I said there was something I needed to talk to you about today?"

Luann's ideas widened and she abruptly set her drinking glass down on the table. "Oh shit! Right—Emma, I'm so sorry…I completely forgot with everything…"

Her mom glanced guiltily over at Dawn, who just shrugged and smiled at Emma reassuringly. She blew out a breath and decided it was now or never. She had her mom's attention. She had the floor. Her best friend was mining through some serious adult changes already today and it was her turn up to bat now.

"So what did you want to talk to me about, Em?"

Her mom was looking back at her with kind, expectant eyes—almost encouraging—and she faltered for a moment. She just didn't want to break her mom's heart…or disappoint her. But this was a conversation they needed to have, even if the situation wasn't exactly ideal.

"Well, Mom," she started shakily, trying to grab hold of her bearings and then knew she just needed to come out with it. "I was wondering if you would co-sign a loan for me."

Luann leaned forward, a thoughtful expression written on her face. Emma glanced at Dawn, who nodded back to her encouragingly.

"Ok, honey," her mom was saying now with a small smile. "What's it for?"

She inhaled abruptly for some extra strength. "I want to open up a restaurant downtown; well, actually, I'm thinking it'll be more along the lines of a café or bistro…I have a space already picked out downtown and a business plan all ready to go. The bank told me I needed a co-signer because of my student loans and that's the only thing I need before I can put in offer on that space."

Luann started to speak but she quickly cut her off, terrified of what her mom was going to say.

"Look, mom—I know things have just started to get better at CaraCara and I would definitely keep working until I got everything settled and—"

Her mom leaned forward and pressed her hand over hers to make her stop talking. "Emma…"

She looked up with a shaky inhale and was knocked off-balance by Luann's smiling eyes.

"Emma," she smiled broadly. "Of course I'll co-sign. Why wouldn't I? This is just…this is amazing news, Emma! I'm so happy for you…your own restaurant…wow, Em—I'm so proud of you."

"Really?" She couldn't stop it from tumbling out of her mouth.

Luann just laughed. "Emma…you don't give yourself enough credit. And don't worry about CaraCara now—we'll figure something else out over there, especially now that you've whipped us all back into shape. Besides, you've got more important uses for your energy now."

"So, you're not—"

"Em," her mom cut in softly. "You can't work at CaraCara for the rest of your life, I know that. It may be my bread and butter but it's not yours."

The overwhelming wave of emotions washing over her was more than she could handle all at once. She hadn't known exactly what the outcome of this conversation would be—although she'd hoped it ended with her getting the loan she needed and her mom not in tears and feeling disowned by her only child—but this was not the reaction she'd anticipated. There was no discussion needed, no other details that needed to be spelled out…hell, her mom hadn't even asked how much the loan was for. She'd just agreed to everything without contest and without tears and without any sort of disappointment.

"Mom, are you sure this is okay? I mean, I know it's a lot to ask and I'd be leaving you hanging at CaraCara." She asked hesitantly but she needed to give Luann this out, needed to make sure this was really alright.

Luann just shrugged with a wide grin. "Yeah, this is okay. It's more than okay. And don't worry about CaraCara, hun; Bobby and I have it covered."

"So…I'm done at CaraCara, just like that?" She couldn't believe all this was going down exactly like it was.

"If you want to be," her mom shrugged again. "And I think you should. You need this time off now to get your bistro or café or anything else you want off the ground."

Emma blew out the proverbial breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Maybe everything was actually going to work out…maybe she'd been way too worked-up and way too over-analytical than necessary. Jax had been right; her mom had surprised her in more ways than one today.

"Okay, Em, now the big question," Luann was saying now. "When can we sign that loan?"

* * *

><p>The meeting place wasn't completely ideal but it was going to have to do. Public places were fine—it worked wonders for keeping the peace when necessary—but a park with kids playing nearby was taking it a little too far. Still, this was a meeting that needed to take place, especially if they wanted to make sure these deals were moving exactly the way they needed to keep the ATF off their backs.<p>

As Laroy and Alvarez sat across from him and Clay at a picnic table, it took Jax a moment to realize that Clay had yet to say something because he was waiting for him to take the reigns here. This was his idea and a potential opportunity to earn his brothers some serious cash. With CaraCara running smoothly—and even though he technically got the credit for that within the ranks of the club, he knew who was really responsible for that—and now this, he was setting himself up to finally earn some of the respect he'd always felt had just been handed to him because of who his father was.

Jax wasn't an idiot. He knew his last name had taken him further in life, and with the club, than any opportunity that would ever come his way but he was not one to take that lightly. He didn't like anything just being handed to him but he still felt like he'd yet to truly prove his abilities to his brothers. CaraCara was a start. This deal was a leap forward.

"So," Jax began with clear confidence. "We called you here today to discuss setting up a tournament—your best three guys against our best three guys, completely friendly—all goodwill. The winner would reap the benefits, of course, but seeing as how our business relationships have blossomed over the past year, we'd like to host you at our clubhouse—all the beer, pussy, and hash you could possibly want."

Alvaraz ran a hand over his chin in thought. "When you thinkin'?"

Jax glanced at Clay and then shrugged. "Any day but this Friday. My kid's comin' home from the hospital."

Laroy nodded slowly and Jax could see the wheels in his head calculating how much money his club could potentially earn from this. "Next Friday, then?"

Clay nodded his approval when Jax cast a brief glance his way.

"Next Friday it is then." Alvarez held out his hand as he spoke.

"Lookin' forward to it." Jax replied, leaning forward to shake Alvarez' hand and then Laroy's.

By the time Jax and Clay were sliding their helmets back on, Jax blew out a sigh of relief. That had been much easier than he was anticipating. Heading up a 'negotiation' mostly on his own with other clubs for the first time had been both a source of wicked adrenaline and apprehension, even if he'd be hard-pressed to actually admit it. But for the most part, it had gone off without a hitch. He could only imagine how difficult the next one was going to be, especially if it was called on darker, more dangerous terms.

Shaking that thought from his head, he followed Clay out onto the highway as they headed back to Charming. He still had one more order of business to take care of before going back to the clubhouse and he was going to enjoy every minute of it. The day, for all intents and purposes, was already going pretty well. He'd gotten the call that Abel was finally coming home—that right there would've been enough-the fight and meet with the Niners and Mayans was a go, and now he was going to go have a little fun and ruffle some feathers.

As he swaggered easily through the hallways in Charming PD, a cocky grin curved up across his lips. A few officers stopped in their tracks when they saw him but he just nodded and waved. Ah…he was reveling in this moment. There really was nothing like riling up the pigs.

When he was standing in front of her office, he grinned broadly and knocked swiftly on the door. Nothing. He tried the door but swore out loud when it was locked. Shit.

"Can I help you, Mr. Teller?"

Agent June Stahl stood in front of him with a half-empty coffee cup in her hand and a suspicious ghost of a smile on her face. Her free hand balled into a tight fist at her hip as her eyes narrowed.

He just shrugged and grinned at her. "Just wanted to make sure you're settlin' in alright…you know, since you're new to the neighborhood and all."

Stahl nodded carefully and took a sip from her coffee cup, her eyes trained guardedly on him. "I see. Well, thank you for the hospitality, Mr. Teller."

"I also wanted to let you know," he went on smugly. "That Samcro ain't goin' anywhere."

"Ah…I see," Stahl shot back. "Well, in that case, I think congratulations are in order—I heard your son is coming home from the hospital—you wouldn't believe how easy it is to get information about Samcro around this town. I can't imagine the mountain of hospital bills you must have already…having a sick child will be very stressful, I'm sure—both emotionally and financially—wouldn't want you to do anything, I don't know, desperate to try to make ends meet."

She was trying to get a rise out of him but he stood his ground, hands in his pockets, self-satisfied grin on his face.

"Of course," she continued knowingly. "That's not to say you won't have help, though, right? Your mother, I'm sure will bend over backwards to help you and then there's Emma…you two looked pretty cozy last Friday night. Very cute."

"Yeah? I'm glad you enjoyed the view." He shot back.

Stahl laughed and took another sip from her cup. "Yeah, well, I could see your hand up her skirt all the way from the street, just so you know. So, yes, there was quite a view."

"Like I said, glad you enjoyed it."

Stahl grinned and took a step closer. "Just so _you _know, Mr. Teller, I'm gonna enjoy watching Samcro crumble."

Jax just barked out a laugh and shook his head. "Good luck, _June_…you have no idea who you're fuckin' with here."

* * *

><p>"I can't remember the last time we did this…" Luann laughed as she scooped another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth.<p>

"I know," Emma replied with a small smile. "This is kinda nice, huh?"

After they'd finished lunch and dropped Dawn back off at the apartment, they'd headed straight for the bank, where Luann had proudly signed the paperwork needed to send the loan through. It was official. She almost couldn't believe all this had happened…or was happening. Part of her wanted to shake herself awake—because this couldn't actually be real, right?

"I know I've been saying this all day but…I'm so happy for you, Em; I can't wait to see what you're gonna do now." Luann wrapped an arm around her shoulder and leaned her head in towards her.

"Thanks, Mom…and thanks for being so great with Dawn today. I had no idea what to do…she was completely freaking out right before you got there."

Luann just shrugged. "She'll be fine. Unfortunately, I don't think I can say the same for Juice—he's gonna get the shit kicked out him."

"Yeah," she laughed. "I felt like we just needed to tell her what she wanted to hear but…that's not gonna end well."

"No, it's not," Luann laughed again. "Hey…now that we have some girl time, I've been meaning to ask you how things are goin' with you and Jax."

She almost choked on her ice cream.

"What?"

"Oh come on, sweetie," Luann chuckled and handed her a napkin. "A blind man could see there's something goin' on there…I mean, he could barely take his eyes off you last Saturday. And the way you two just left like that, shit—Em, he basically dropped everything to whisk you away and I'm sure—"

"Mom, we didn't—"

"I know, I know," Luann cut in quickly with a smile. "But he does follow you around like a horny teenager which isn't the Jax I know, that's for sure."

It was right on the tip of her tongue…_we're just friends, Mom_. But that wasn't necessarily true anymore. Somewhere along the way their interactions with each other had evolved. When she still couldn't think of anything to say, her mom just shrugged and took another spoonful of ice cream.

"I mean," she went on. "Usually it's the other way around you know…so…"

"So what?"

Luann's eye brows rose and she bit her lip. "Look, sweetie, you know I just want you to be happy, right? So be careful…his life is a little more complicated now with Abel and you need to figure out just how deep you're willing to go before this goes any further, you know?"

She blew out a deep breath. Somehow, this conversation had taken a turn she wasn't sure she liked. She hadn't really allowed herself to think about what was really going on with her and Jax but she knew she didn't really want to be having this conversation right now.

"Emma, Jax is a good man, he really is…but he's not without his flaws and I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Mom—it's not a big deal, okay? Jax and I are…I don't know what we are but we're both adults and we'll figure it out, alright?"

Luann just shrugged. "No big deal, huh? Okay, I'll take that for now."

Somewhere along the way during this conversation, she'd started to feel like she was back in high school and her and her mom were sitting in her bedroom, discussing where she should and shouldn't let her homecoming date put his hands. Except that had never really happened…Luann had spent the majority of her high school years in and out of rehab, and when she wasn't in rehab, she was seeing her shrink or getting CaraCara off the ground. They had never had a conversation like this before and never in a million years had she ever guessed that when they actually did, that Jax would be the topic of the conversation.

On some level, this all felt a little hypocritical coming from Luann. Giving her relationship advice, telling her to be careful and not to get hurt…it's not like her mother was exactly the authority on anything, let alone relationships.

"Hey, mom," she started hesitantly. She hadn't planned on this coming up today, maybe not even ever, but here it was. "Since we're on the topic of relationships…can I ask you a question and…you can say no but…"

Her mom just shrugged and took another spoonful of her ice cream. "Go ahead, Em. You know I'm an open book."

Emma blew out a breath and allowed the question to finally roll off her tongue: "Are you sleeping with Bobby?"

Luann froze for her a moment, her spoon still hanging in mid-air. A small frown inched across her forehead and then her eyes squeezed shut. She exhaled deeply and ran a hand roughly across her face. "How did you know?"

She just shrugged. "A hunch, I guess."

Luann nodded slowly and lightly tossed her spoon into back into the now-empty ice cream dish. "I wanted to tell you, Emma, I really did…I just felt like we've gained so much ground back, you know? Made up for so much lost time in such a short time, I didn't want to do anything to make you turn around and bolt."

There wasn't much she could say to that. It was miracle she hadn't done that when she first figured it out.

"What about Dad?"

"I know what you're asking here, Emma and don't get me wrong, I love your father. I always have and I always fuckin' will. Nothing is ever gonna change that. But…he's been in prison for so long, Emma. I missed my husband and I missed being touched and kissed and….I know this isn't really what you want to hear but I was lonely. So god damn lonely."

It was hard to listen to but she hadn't thought about that aspect of her father being locked up. She knew, as a daughter, that having your dad in prison meant he would miss all those moments in life when you needed him the most. Her graduation party, for instance. When her car broke down in college when she was on her way to visit home, it had been natural to immediately want to call her father. But she'd had to call Tig instead. When she'd finally thought she'd found a nice guy—for once—she'd found herself wishing that she could introduce him to her dad and wondering if they would get along or if her dad would approve of him—of course, she'd been very, very wrong about that one and knew her dad would've probably beat him to a pulp if she said the word. While there'd been countless times over the last eight years that she'd wished he was there, that she'd missed him—so much she'd cried herself to sleep—that wasn't the same way her mother had missed him.

And while she'd been too busy focused on her own dysfunctional relationship with Luann, she'd been completely ignorant to what her dad's imprisonment had done to her mom.

"It's like your dad being gone has left this hole, you know?" her mom continued softly. "I just miss him so god damn much that it hurts…all the time…and Bobby just…well, I guess he fills that hole a little bit for me."

She did understand. She really did.

"Do you love him, Mom?" Part of her almost didn't want to hear the answer but she needed to know.

Luann smiled sadly and shook her head. "I don't love Bobby, Em. At least, not the way the way I love your father. Bobby is…a good friend who's always been there for me. But he's not your dad."

She remembered how upset she'd been Saturday night, how angry that her mom would even think about cheating on her dad but now she felt more like an asshole than anything. She had no right to judge her mom for this. They were both adults and it wasn't like this circumstance was exactly a normal one.

"Mom," she started hoarsely. "I get it…I appreciate you being honest with me. I just want you to be happy, Mom. That's it."

Luann smiled as a fresh tear slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and wrapped an arm around Emma. "Thanks, sweetie. I can't say I thought we'd ever have _this _conversation but I'm glad we did. I'm glad we can talk about these kinds of things now…if this was a few years ago, I'm not sure you'd be speaking to me right now."

She laughed, in spite of the situation. "Maybe not."

"But I hope though, that you know you can always talk to me about anything, right? I know why you were nervous to ask me about the loan today and I know that my choices have made you feel that way. But you've got so many amazing things going on for you right now—your café or bistro or whatever you decide it's gonna be, you get to be your own boss, and you are going to bring something fantastic into Charming now, I just know it. I'd say I can't wait to be your first customer but I have a feeling I'm gonna be fighting someone else for that spot."

She had a hard time not rolling her eyes.

"Do you think we could make a pit stop at TM on our way back? I think we should tell Gemma the good news—she'll be so happy." Luann was saying with a twinkle in her eye.

This time, she didn't make any effort to stop her eyes from dramatically lifting to the ceiling.

* * *

><p>Jax was having a difficult time focusing on the task in front of him. He'd been tinkering with this battery for the last half hour—even though he realistically could've had everything all set and ready for the customer in about ten minutes—and now, he was just staring at it. He couldn't necessarily help that his mind was going about a hundred miles an hour now. There was too much bouncing around in his head to really be able to focus on one simple thing. It was frustrating behind all fucking belief.<p>

He glanced around, making sure his mother was a safe distance away, and stealthily snuck his phone out of his back pocket and checked it again. Shit. Nothing.

She'd said she'd let him know how everything went with her mom but still no word. Besides, he was practically jumping up and down with excitement to finally tell her…he'd been waiting to tell her in person because that just seemed like the best way to do it, especially given that it pretty much was the best news of his entire life, but now, he just couldn't fucking wait any longer.

When Gemma materialized in the doorway of the office, an impatient, disapproving expression on her face, he knew he needed to get his shit together and finish working on this engine already. He knew the customer was sitting there waiting, probably wondering why he drew the short straw that day and got the mentally handicapped mechanic to work on his car. Time to get back to the real world.

No sooner than the last few wires were being connected, he caught a glimpse of Luann's black Escalade pull into TM's parking lot. Craning his neck to get a better view, it was obvious who was in the passenger seat and he couldn't stop the shit-eating grin that spread across his face. One more glance at the office—and his mother's stern, irritated stare—and he jumped right back into finishing the job.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Emma jump out of the car and follow her mom towards the office. When their eyes met, he held out his hands in questioning and when she smiled broadly back at him with a nod, he silently held up a finger and bit his lip—he still had a customer to deal with before he could finally do what he'd been all day for.

Everything else went by in a blur as he hauled ass to check the engine and make sure everything was working right. He was handing the keys off to Half-Sack when Emma came out of the office and headed to the picnic tables in front of the clubhouse. He quickly wiped the grease off his hands, threw the towel at Half-Sack, and then jogged down the parking lot.

"So she went for it, huh?" He exhaled when he was standing in front of her, plopping down next to her as he spoke.

"Yeah, she did. I didn't even get through half of the speech I had prepared. She just immediately went for it—we just signed the paperwork actually."

"Told ya." He grinned back at her. "Nothin' to worry about. So when you gonna put the offer in on that spot downtown?"

She just shrugged and leaned back against the edge of the picnic table. "Within a couple of days, probably. I just have to talk to the realtor again and then it should be a go after that."

He smiled with a nod. "That's great, Em. It's all workin' out, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it might."

He leaned forward and glanced at her before laying down his own piece of news. "I got some good news today too…"

Her eyebrows rose and she leaned forward expectantly—for a moment, it seemed like she already knew what he was going to say before he even had a chance to say it.

"Abel's comin' home on Friday."

Her mouth slowly opened and then she was throwing her arms around his neck. His hands slid around her waist and he closed his eyes at the feel. There it was. That was what he'd been waiting for. Now, it really felt like it was complete…Abel was finally coming home and he was celebrating with the person who'd been there for him—and for Abel—since day one. Now it felt right.

"I can't believe it…this is amazing!" She was whispering in his ear now. "He's finally coming home…and the nursery isn't even close to being ready, is it?"

He laughed and pulled her in a little bit closer. "Nah, not really."

"Well, we have until Friday, right?"

He pushed some hair back away from her face and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to her soft lips. "Yeah…Friday."

She smiled again as he leaned back again, allowing his hand to drop back down to the wooden plank underneath him. When his eyes drifted back over to her, he frowned at the pensive, almost hesitant expression written on her features.

"You okay over there?" He asked slowly.

Her eyes snapped to him and he could tell he'd just stunned her out of her thoughts. In a way, she almost seemed a little embarrassed. She quickly shook herself out of whatever funk she'd just been in and forced a small smile on her face.

"Fine…just fine. I was just thinking about how weird today was—just in general. So many things just seemed to shift a little bit and I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of it."

He nodded even though he didn't quite follow her.

"I mean—I was just thinking about where I was four years ago and I was a complete, fucking mess in more ways than one. And now—it feels like everything has somehow done a 180 on me. I don't know how it happened but I can tell you for sure I never thought I'd be where I am now when I was 20."

He wasn't sure exactly how he was supposed to respond to that. It was clear she wasn't going to go into the details of how she was a "complete, fucking mess" four years ago and even though he wanted to know those details, he knew it wasn't his place to ask, especially if she wasn't interested in sharing more. But he knew that this was probably something she didn't talk about often and he didn't want her to jump up and run away from him if he pressed her.

"I'm sorry…" she trailed off. "I didn't mean to go all dark and heavy on you…today has just been…strange."

Again, he didn't really understand what she meant. But maybe that wasn't the point.

So he just shrugged and ran a hand over her thigh, squeezing it softly. "Don't worry about it, darlin'. Everything has a way of workin' itself out, huh?"

She smiled softly as he pressed another quick kiss into her lips.

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?"

* * *

><p>"What exactly do you think is goin' on over there?" Gemma asked as she snapped the blinds back into place.<p>

"Well, Emma said it was 'no big deal'—to quote her exactly. But that doesn't look like no big deal to me." Luann replied, her hands on her hips.

"Jax chose not to say anything," Gemma chuckled with a glimmer of anxiety. "They're certainly not doing a very good job of hiding it, that's for damn sure."

Luann chuckled and pulled a few of the blinds down again to glance out the window. "It looks to me like whatever's going on there has already started. You saw him kiss her before, right?"

Gemma nodded coolly as she walked back over to her desk and wasted no time rifling through the top drawer to find what she was looking for. She held the joint up for Luann, who empathetically nodded. Once it was lit and had been passed between them a few times, the dust had seemed to settle a little.

"I have a feeling this might not end well, Gemma."

Gemma nodded slightly with a deep sigh. "You and me both. I can't say my son has the best track record when it comes to relationships—which is what that out there is by the way. They're just too bull-headed to see it yet."

"Well, I'd like to think she's smart enough not to let herself get pulled into something she doesn't want. Him—maybe not so much. But I'm worried, Gem. I don't want to see her get hurt. And I don't want her to run away again."

Gemma nodded in clear understanding and took another puff from the rolled up joint in between her fingers. "What concerns me is what we just saw out there. He's takin' it slow with her—I guarantee he hasn't screwed her yet but when he does, there's no telling what's gonna go down after that."

"You're not worried about what's gonna happen when Abel comes home? What happens when she gets attached to both of them?"

"What happens when he gets attached to her?"

Luann blew out a breath and leaned back in the chair she'd fallen into. "Maybe they'll figure their shit out. Maybe we're just being crazy, overprotective mothers right now."

Gemma calmly stood up and sauntered back over to the window to down some blinds to take another look at the couple still sitting on the picnic table. Jax had his hand in her hair now and was tucking some of it behind her ear before he leaned forward and kissed her again. There was something about it that was almost…sweet, which was an adjective she'd never associated with her son and the opposite sex before. Maybe this was different. Maybe this seemingly near-disaster in the making wasn't quite as inevitable as they'd both assumed. Maybe her son wasn't as much of an idiot as she thought he was and maybe he was actually able to recognize a good thing when he had it. And maybe, it wasn't Emma that was the most vulnerable to get hurt here after all.

"Well," Gemma resolved finally. "Whatever happens from here on out is on them. Can't say we didn't warn them though—they have no idea what they're getting themselves into."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**-Sorry for the longer wait for this one. In a lot of ways, this chapter was the calm before the storm and the title, hopefully, hints to that. I know this chapter wasn't very Jax/Emma-centric but the turnaround in Emma and Luann's relationship was very necessary at this point. They've cleared the air, said some things that needed to be said, and made some much-needed peace between them-especially with the reminders about Emma's past that came up. The next chapter will be Abel's homecoming...

Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know what you thought-good or bad-your feedback keeps me on the right track and motivated to keep this going! Thanks to everyone who reviewed/alerted the last chapter; I really appreciate it! R/R!


	8. Contact

**A/N-Just a reminder of the rating; that's all ;)**

* * *

><p>TRUE LOVE WAY<p>

Chapter Eight

Big Otto Delaney didn't appreciate having to wait. In prison, of course, he had nothing but time. He'd been an inmate at Stockton Penitentiary for eight years now and had become accustomed to taking careful inventory of time. Each day, each minute, was another notch—another checkpoint—in his endgame. But during those eight years, he'd learned that time was also, in some ways, like a sort of currency. You got more time out in the yard if you kept your head down and stayed out of trouble. You got more time in the library for doing the same, which was a benefit he was quickly becoming grateful for having just stumbled across a book of Keats poems. He'd also taken note of all the ways time could be used as a punishment too and had taken those blows for the good of his club because they'd needed his contacts on the inside.

A few fights, a few stabbings here and there, it all added up to additional time on his original ten to fifteen sentence but that was something he could learn to deal with. He was prepared to bleed, die, and serve time for Samcro and saw no problem with the occasional instances of 'misconduct' in order to keep the Samcro agenda rolling. It certainly didn't hurt his cred on the inside either and he had the scars to prove it.

But he was getting older. And starting to feel it too. He knew he was certainly looking worse for the wear, his wife had said as much the last time she'd visited. He wasn't entirely sure how long he could keep this up before he was just too tired. Part of him wanted to just fade into the background with his books and keep to himself. But every time he'd started having those thoughts more seriously, Jax, Bobby, or Clay had shown up asking for another favor and he was never going to say no. The club's business was his business too and he knew it went both ways. If he took care of them, they would take care of his family. It was a fair trade.

Maybe it was just his old age, maybe it was just that he had become more aware of each minute that passed, maybe it was that he knew this visitor was not family or Samcro, but he didn't like the knowledge that he was sitting in this muted, stark room waiting. He could've only been brought to this room for one reason and he didn't appreciate being kept waiting like he was nothing. Like his time didn't matter. It was fucking disrespectful as hell.

So when the door finally opened to reveal a tall, blonde, and smug woman, he felt his patience growing increasingly thinner. This was going to be a fucking waste of his time.

"Hello, Mr. Delaney. My name is June Stahl and I'm an agent for the ATF—I think we have a lot to talk about today."

"Can you make this quick? I've got shit to do." He snapped back, not interested in whatever this woman wanted from him.

Stahl's eyes widened in surprise. She'd clearly not been expecting him to be so unfriendly. That was her problem. He wasn't sitting here so he could play games.

Stahl quickly recovered herself and took a seat across from him at the table. He sat there, hands folded calmly in front of him, eye patch securely in place, and he squinted at her through his thick glasses. This was the best the ATF could do? This woman looked like she could barely throw a stick; let alone carry a gun…but he supposed that didn't mean she wasn't smart. At this point, he was willing to play nice.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Delaney," Stahl continued with a confident smile. "I have no intention of wasting your time—so let's cut to the chase, shall we?"

He gestured with a hand for her to continue, ready to get this shit over with already.

"I'd like to make you an offer—an exchange, if you will."

"And what kind of exchange do you have in mind?" He already knew where this was going and he wasn't very happy about it.

Stahl mistakenly took that as an opening and grinned broadly. "I'd be willing to not only get your next parole hearing bumped up but personally see to it that your case is more carefully considered by the board—you could realistically be out of here in under two years if you give me something on Samcro. It can be anything—contacts, deals, negotiations with other clubs, any dirty secret you could give me."

He exhaled loudly and ran a hand over his stubble. Then a deep belly laugh barked out of him and he couldn't stop his shoulders from shaking.

"That's it, huh? You've gotta be fuckin' kidding me. This is bullshit—can I go now? Can we get that guard over here?"

Stahl was not amused. In fact, her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward with a dangerous glint in her eye. "So I take that as a polite no?"

"An impolite one but yes."

Stahl nodded and tapped her fingers on the metal table for a moment. When she looked back at him, he almost didn't recognize her. It was like the congenial agent that walked through the door just a few moments ago had vanished and been replaced with the beady, black eyes of a psychopath. For a moment, it chilled him to the bone.

"Perhaps you should think this through a little more, Mr. Delaney. It would be very easy—too easy—for me to squash your daughter's credit on that loan she just tried to take out or…even better, I could let her get that loan and then have my contacts outbid her on that little slice of heaven she has her eye on in downtown Charming—that would just break her precious little heart, wouldn't it? Or maybe I could swing by your wife's fine film studio and toss it…I bet she wouldn't be too happy with what I'd find, huh? Or even better, I could do a combination of all of that just for fun. What do you think?"

He clenched his fists in front of him, desperate to reach across the table and slam her head into it repeatedly until that smug grin fell right off her face. But misconduct like that wouldn't help him or his family right now. He figured he'd better take the high-road here instead.

"I'm only gonna tell you this once—so you better listen. Blackmailing me ain't gonna get you want you want here. You and I both know you don't have the kind of clout it would take for you to work all that magic you were just bragging about but even if you did, there isn't anything you could ever say or ever fucking do that would make me turn on my club."

Stahl just shrugged. "What about your wife and daughter? You don't care what happens to them?"

"My girls are just fine."

She leaned her arms back against the edge of the table and shook her head. "Alright, Mr. Delaney. Point taken—but I'll be back."

He just grinned and waved goodbye as she stood to leave. "Lookin' forward to your next visit, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>It had taken almost a full day—and then some—for Gemma, Emma, Luann, and Dawn to finally get Jax's house in order. Between the four of them, they'd managed to scrub just about every inch of the inside and had piles upon piles of bulging trash bags to show for it. From the start, it had been a daunting task but none of them had really realized just how daunting until they were knee deep in the shit and the dirt and the moldy buildup in the refrigerator. Wendy couldn't have done any sort of cleaning in well over three months before Abel was born and it showed. Now, more than ever, the reality hit home that Wendy had been the absolute last thing that both Jax and Abel needed in their lives at this point. She was good where she was.<p>

In the meantime, Jax and Opie had set up a brand new crib in Abel's nursery and tossed the demolished one on the side of the street where it belonged. And with Gemma and Emma's help, the nursery was quickly whipped into shape, stocked with supplies, and ready for the new arrival.

Now, Emma flitted around Jax's kitchen as she put the finishing touches on the spread she and Gemma had put together for Abel's big day. No matter how much she chopped and arranged, she couldn't get the nervous fluttering in her stomach to cease. It didn't even matter that people had started to flow steadily inside the house—it seemed like the entire club was there already—she was edging on an anxiousness that just wouldn't go away.

"Hey, hun," Luann appeared in the doorway to the kitchen as she spoke. "Everything looks great—I just got off the phone with Gemma…they'll just leaving the hospital now and should be here soon."

"Okay, okay…that's good. Everything should be just about ready." She exhaled shakily.

She'd been looking forward to this day for well over two months and now that it was finally here, she almost didn't know what to do with herself. It was better just to keep her mind busy—she did a quick inventory of the items on the table to make sure everything was there. Pineapple salsa, pulled turkey resting in a crock pot, a few pasta salads, orange jello, a plate of cheese and crackers, chips and dip, plenty of beer and drinks in the coolers underneath the table—everything seemed to be there. It wasn't fancy but she still wanted everything to be perfect.

"This looks great, Em," Luann was saying now. "I didn't realize how much I missed your pineapple salsa until just now…do you mind if I snag a little?"

"No, go ahead." She shook her head and stepped aside so her mom had better access to the table.

"You need to calm down, Em-there's nothin' to be nervous about today. Everything's gonna be fine," Luann put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she put a chip in her mouth. "Ohh…this is amazing. Yep, this is what I've been missin' in my life."

She laughed, in spite of the anxiety still fluttering around. "Thanks, mom. Glad you like it."

"Like it…baby, I love it. But seriously…you know what I'm sayin', right?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, I get it, mom. I think I'll just calm down a little bit more when they finally get here."

"Right, and then the party can finally start. I really have to wait until after Abel gets here to start drinking?"

"Well, I'm sure Jax doesn't want a bunch of drunk people man-handling his son today so…"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

They looked up when Dawn appeared in the doorway, her hand fisted into a tight ball at her hip. "Can I please make a plate? Please? I'm so unbelievably hungry right now…"

Not wanting to deprive a pregnant woman of much-needed sustenance, Emma quickly stepped away from the table and gestured to the stack of plates to her right. "By all means, Dawn—help yourself. Shit."

"Sorry…I thought we were supposed to wait until they got here."

"That was just for the drinking part…" Luann added helpfully.

Dawn shifted her eyes carefully between Luann and her best friend and then stepped stealthily in between them to start filling her plate. She waited until Luann excused herself to head back into the living room before pouncing.

"So, you and your mom seem to be getting along alright, huh?"

Emma just shrugged as she spooned some salsa onto her own plate. "Yeah…things have been more civil, definitely."

"Well, the whole co-signer thing definitely helped."

"I think so, yeah…anyways, enough about that—when are you and Juice gonna talk to your dad?"

Dawn visibly blanched and winced slightly before blowing out a breath. "I don't know…maybe I'm putting it off for as long as possible. I guess I just like seeing my man in one piece, you know? Not scattered in fifty different places across NoCal."

"Well, maybe it'll be like ripping off a bandaid, you know? Maybe you just need to get it over with."

Dawn snorted a little and grinned up at her. "Shit, isn't that the pot calling the kettle black…speaking of necessary conversations that need to happen, like, now, have you and Jax discussed what's going to happen now that Abel is home?"

She frowned and bit her lip, careful to keep her concentration firmly on the table of food in front of her and not on her very observant best friend. "What's there to discuss? I mean, it's not like we're a couple or dating or anything like that."

Dawn's eyebrows flew into her forehead and she barked out a laugh. "That's what you think? Wow…"

"Shut up."

"Very mature, Emma. I'm glad to see you're going to be taking care of a newborn with that attitude."

Emma opened her mouth to reply—and hell, did Dawn deserve it—when her mom appeared in the doorway, waving them over to the front door with excitement dancing on her face.

"They're here!" Luann squealed happily.

Emma and Dawn looked at each other and then both girls' faces broke out into wide grins. They scurried over to the front door but found that the main entrance to Jax's home was already crowded with guests eager to see the guest of honor finally make his grand entrance. She stood up on her tip toes to try to steal a glimpse of the doorway but Tig's big, curly head was directly in her line of vision. When the door opened, a loud cheer erupted from the guests crowding up around them as Gemma entered first, a diaper bag in hand and a blissful smile on her face as she greeted the people in front of her and pulled Clay in for a quick kiss.

Jax followed a few beats later with an equally wide grin on his face—almost completely identical to his mother's—and a tiny blue bundle in his arms. He grinned at his brothers, who each took a turn slapping him on the shoulder as he passed Abel into Clay's waiting arms. It was a marvel to see such a gruff, somber, and road-weary man turn into a puddle, in the presence of the entire club no less. Maybe deep down, all it took was a grandson to get some true emotion out of the hard old man. It was actually kind of sweet to watch.

She sat back, as patiently as humanly possible, as Abel was ceremoniously passed around from person to person, and laughed as Tig somewhat awkwardly handed Abel off to Bobby, who cooed and cuddled the baby into his arms. Then her heart tightened up in her chest when she realized that Jax was now weaving in and out of the crowd up by the front door over to where she and Dawn were still standing.

She heard Dawn chuckle under her breath but chose to ignore it.

As Jax approached, that lop-sided grin she loved and hated so much slid across his lips and she swallowed nervously. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, casting a quick glance over at Dawn before planting a quick kiss on her lips.

"Hey, Em," he smiled down at her, his arms still wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Hey, Jax," she laughed.

He was still smiling as he slowly unwound his arms from around her and moved over to Dawn, embracing her quickly.

"Do I get a kiss, too?" Dawn asked innocently.

"I might get my ass handed to me but I think you're worth the risk, darlin'," he laughed before giving her a light peck on the cheek.

"Glad to know I'm worth it." Dawn chuckled with an eye roll as she lightly pushed him in the chest. "Go get some food, you big dummy."

Jax held up his hands in defense as he slid past them into the kitchen, winking at Emma as he made his way over to the table. He didn't hesitate to grab a plate and dig in and she smiled when he took a healthy sized portion of her homemade salsa. When her head turned back to the living room, Luann was walking towards her with Abel nestled in her arms.

"Hey, hun," she smiled. "This little guy's getting kinda fussy. I thought maybe you'd like to hold him…"

She wasted no time in reaching out as Luann slid Abel into her waiting arms. When he was finally snuggled in her arms, her hungry eyes drank him in. His wide, deep blue eyes stared up at her with a glimmer of recognition and he reached up to her, catching a strand of her hair in his tiny little fist and he held on for dear life. She chuckled and gently pried her hair out of his grasp, making a mental note to make sure her hair was out of his reach in the future. The little guy was strong.

"Hey," she whispered softly to him. "Where's your nook, huh? I think you need something else in your mouth instead of my hair, buddy."

She moved around the living room and headed for the nursery, where she knew exactly what she needed. It took a little maneuvering with Abel still in her arms but she got one of the drawers open easily enough and plopped a pacifier in his mouth. That seemed to calm him down almost immediately and she exhaled in relief. The last thing she wanted right now was a fussy baby, especially with a houseful of people.

"You look like a natural over there," Jax's voice echoed across the room.

She glanced up to see him leaning against the doorway, a soft smile on his lips. She grinned back before shifting her eyes back down to Abel, who was resting contently in her arms now that he was preoccupied.

"Well, I figured out that all it takes is shoving a pacifier in his mouth to get him to calm down."

"Nice," he laughed, taking a few steps closer to her. "I'm glad you figured that out now. That'll probably save us a lot of headaches."

She didn't miss his use of the word 'us' and for once, she decided not to over-think the situation she currently found herself in. There wasn't any part of her that wanted to thrust Abel into Jax's arms and bolt. And with the way Jax was staring at her now, with an intensity that made her heart flip over in her chest, all she really wanted to do right now was kiss him.

So she closed the distance between them and did just that with Abel still nestled comfortably in her arms. When she moved to step back, his hand closed around the back of her neck to pull her back and this time, his lips moved slowly, with building fervor, and his tongue darted in and out of her mouth so quickly it made her head spin.

When his lips left hers, he stepped back and grinned down at her. "I've been wanting to do that all night."

She just laughed and shook her head. "I think people are starting to leave; we should probably head out there and say good-bye…and start cleaning up."

He nodded, sliding a hand on the small of her back. "Yeah, probably…hey, when everyone gets the hell out of my house…I was wonderin' if you would stay."

She just shrugged as they slowly stepped closer towards the hallway. "Yeah, sure. I don't want Gemma to have to clean this place up all by herself."

"No," Jax shook his head with a small smile. "I mean after all that…you'll stay, right?"

She froze in place for a moment as the meaning of his words sunk in. She knew what he meant and she had an idea about what would happen if she did stay. When her eyes met Jax's, he was staring back at her an anxious expression written across his features—she wasn't used to seeing him this way. Nervous. Expectant. Worried that she might say no. Yet, in spite of that, there was still the promise of what the rest of the night could possibly bring. Maybe she was jumping in headfirst. Maybe she didn't really care anymore. Either way, there was no hesitation. Tonight, there was no where else she wanted to be more than right here with both of them.

"Yeah, Jax, I'll stay."

Rejection wasn't usually on Jax's radar. In fact, it was a feeling he'd rarely had to encounter—the last time he'd felt it, he'd trashed his dorm room. So it was safe to say that when it was on his radar, he wasn't exactly equipped to handle it. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was push Emma into something she wasn't ready to do yet but he couldn't stop himself from asking. It wasn't so much that he needed her there with him—he would be the first to admit he had no idea what to do with a newborn—but he figured Abel was his kid and Abel was home now so he'd manage on his own. But he wanted her there. He wanted her to be there when he tucked Abel in for his first night home. He wanted her in his bed—he'd been trying to be patient, he'd been trying to take it slow, but he didn't think he could be patient much longer. She was literally driving him crazy. Every time he saw her, every time he touched her, he felt himself edging closer and closer to the point of no return.

But he still couldn't quite get a solid read on her. She'd never stopped him, never turned away from him, and there'd been something about the way she had kissed him before with Abel still in her arms that had felt different than any other time they'd been that close. He didn't know what that meant but he did know that he wanted that again. He just couldn't get a handle on what she wanted.

So when he'd asked her to stay, he'd wondered if maybe he'd pushed too far, asked for too much. For a moment, he thought he saw a glimmer of hesitance reflecting in her eyes and if he could've snatched the question back out of the air, he would have.

But then, by some miracle, she'd said yes. And now, he felt like the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

As he followed Emma, with Abel still nestled in her arms, back out into the living room, the party was officially starting to wind down and he couldn't have been happier about it. Now, all he wanted was for everyone to get the fuck out.

Given that his mother would murder him if he rudely shuffled the guests out of his house, he plastered on a grin and decided to wait it out. Everyone was starting to leave anyways so he busied himself with saying goodbye and thanking them for being there. As much as he wanted them to leave now, he did honestly appreciate the crowd that had shown up to welcome his son home. If there was one thing he could always count on, it was that his brothers would always be there through the good shit and the bad shit.

Bobby clapped him on the shoulder as he emptied the last of his beer and pushed it into his chest. "I think it's time for me to go collapse in between some legs at the clubhouse—this was a great party, Jax—I'm glad your boy is finally home."

He smiled as he set the empty bottle on the end table to his right, which had quickly accumulated a healthy collection of empties. "Glad you were here, Bobby."

As Bobby saluted him on his way out the door, he felt Gemma nudge him gently in the side with her elbow.

"You know, Jax," she whispered to him. "I can stay if you need me to…"

He abruptly shook his head as his eyes fell to Emma, who was handing Abel off to Luann. "Nah, Ma. I think we got this…thanks for the offer, though."

He waited for his mother to do her usual thing and protest and fight until she got her way but that never came. Instead, she was gazing up at him with a hint of pride and maybe a little apprehension but it was the pride he chose to focus on. Although he knew he was, more than likely, going to have to rely heavily on his mother to get him through fatherhood, she wasn't going to be able to be there 24/7. He needed to be able to take care of his son without his mother hovering over them. Besides, if he had Emma, then that was really all he needed.

Gemma reached up and rested a hand gently against his cheek with a small smile. "Okay, baby. Call me if you need me, though, alright?"

"Sure thing, Ma." He grinned back at her, grateful she wasn't going to push the issue. She leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading into the kitchen to say goodbye to Emma.

When he finally closed the door behind Gemma and Clay, he leaned back against it with a deep sigh. He'd been looking forward to this day for so long and now he was just glad it was finally over. A quick glance around the living room told him that they had their work cut out for them with the clean-up but he wasn't really interested in that right now.

He pushed himself off the door and made his way into the kitchen. Emma was busy covering bowls with tin foil and moving things around in the refrigerator to make some space. Abel was resting contently in a carrier on a chair next to the kitchen table and he bent down to take hold of one of his son's tiny little fingers as he moved deeper into the kitchen. He ran a hand down her back and slid it around her waist as she leaned inside the refrigerator, making her jump a little at the contact.

"Shit, Jax…you scared me!" She laughed, setting a bowl of something onto a shelf.

"Hey, darlin'…you don't have to worry about this now; we can take care of this later." At the moment, he didn't want her preoccupied with cleaning up the mess in his house.

"I know," she shrugged as she straightened up to face him. "I just want to get everything in that's gonna spoil over night."

Shit, she had a point there. He couldn't exactly stand by and let perfectly good left-overs go to waste.

"Alright, Em—just tell me what to do."

She gestured towards a few bowls of tubberware sitting on the counter next to the table and together, they tag-teamed it quickly enough to get the job done. The rest of the shit—the empty bottles, the trash cans filled with dirty paper plates, the sink filled with dirty dishes—that could be dealt with tomorrow.

"We should probably get this little guy to bed," Emma exhaled softly, gesturing towards Abel, who already had his little eyes closed in the carrier.

"Yeah," he nodded with a smile. "I can't say I'm not a little nervous, though…I have no idea what we're supposed to do here."

"It can't be that hard, right? He's already kind of asleep anyways…" She tilted her head to the side as she looked back at Abel.

She swiftly scooped Abel up in her arms, careful not to jostle him around too much and upset him—and he couldn't help but notice how comfortable she seemed with him. He hadn't been kidding before when he'd seen them together in Abel's nursery. She really was a natural with him. He followed closely at her heels as she headed slowly towards the nursery and he realized that he really was nervous about this. They were finally alone in his house with Abel and now Abel was truly his responsibility. The hustle and bustle of the party had muted that reality a little but now here it was, smacking him right in the face. He really was a father now. From here on out, Abel was stuck with him.

Emma gingerly set Abel down in his crib and he leaned down to tuck the blankets around Abel, resting his other hand lightly around Emma's hip. As they stared down at him, Abel's eyes closed again and his head lobbed to the side. He glanced at the baby monitor sitting on the dresser just to verify that it was on and exhaled deeply. Everything seemed to be in place for Abel's first night home.

"He really is perfect, Jax," Emma whispered to him.

He leaned down until his chin was resting gently on her shoulder and wrapped his other arm around her waist to pull her a little closer to him. Right about now, it felt like nothing could touch them. Like nothing else really mattered. When his lips found her neck, she shivered softly, leaning back into him. He abruptly pulled away from her and reached out to encircle her hand in his, pulling her gently towards the doorway.

"Come on, Em," he whispered hoarsely, a small smile creeping up onto his lips.

She was looking back at him with wide, blue eyes and then her expression shifted from surprised, to apprehensive, to trusting all in a matter of moments. She gripped his hand tightly and allowed him to lead her out of the nursery and down the hallway towards his bedroom.

They'd barely made it halfway down the hallway before she felt him pulling her closer and a hand snaked around her waist, just barely skimming the space between her jeans and her shirt. She shivered into him and it was difficult to keep her entire body in check, to keep from trembling after just one brief glimmer of contact.

She turned around to face him as he edged her closer and closer to the doorway of his bedroom and was struck by the intensity reflecting in his eyes. She'd seen that before when they were entangled around each other outside the clubhouse and when they were entangled around each other on her couch but there had been some restraint there as well. There was none of that pooling in his eyes now. The sheer force of his eyes, which took on an even more magnetic force in the dim hallway light, pushed her deeper until she was crossing the threshold to his bedroom. There was no going back now, even if she wanted to.

Just as her hands were winding around his neck, his lips descended upon her and she felt his hands burning into her waist as he pressed her more closely to him. He was still walking her backwards, closer and closer to the bed, when her hands took on a mind of their own and slid Jax's cut off. They didn't stop there and reached around to lightly skim up the hard muscles of his back. He leaned back, a grin dancing on his lips, as he lifted his arms so she could pull the shirt up and over his head.

Biting her lip, she trailed a hand lightly down his bare chest and gently traced the tattoo over his heart dedicated to his son. She hadn't known he'd done that and it just made her want him all the more. Her hand continued its explorations and trailed down his taut stomach, feeling her breath quicken at the sensation of his skin. When she tugged her gaze back up to him, his eyes were closed and he was biting his bottom lip. Deciding to test out just how much she was affecting him, her hand drifted a little bit lower and gently skimmed over the section of skin that led directly to his belt buckle. When she heard him take a sharp intake of breath, she grinned slyly.

Feeling a newfound sense of empowerment, she yanked him closer to her by his belt buckle and his eyes shot open in surprise as his muffled laugh tickled her ear. His hands were tugging up her shirt now and she said a silent prayer of thanks that she'd decided to wear one of her sexier pairs of bra and underwear. While her shirt floated to the carpet at their feet, Jax's mouth captured her lips and this time, his tongue darted in and out of her mouth, swirling around with building fervor. His hands trailed up the sides of her back until he had both hands full and kneaded them roughly. A moment later, he was reaching around and made quick work of unclasping her bra, shoving it to the side and onto the floor. He gently nudged her closer to the bed until her calves hit the edge.

She scooted backwards, with Jax in hot pursuit, and settled back against the pillows, allowing him to move in between her legs. This was what she'd been waiting for and now that this moment was finally here, it just felt surreal. She had a rough, tousled, biker-Adonis in between her legs and she wanted to savor every single moment of it.

Of course, savoring the moment would only take her so far. She needed him closer and he was still wearing too many clothes for him to get quite as close as she wanted. Before she could stop herself, her fingers were working on his belt buckle and he reached down to help her, shoving his jeans down and kicking them off to the side, his attention never fully leaving her lips.

By the time she was kicking off her own jeans, her patience had started to wear thin. She didn't want to wait anymore. But when he lowered her head and placed a light trail of kisses from her collarbone all the way down to the edge of her lacy boy-shorts, she found herself relishing the anticipation. Everything he was doing just felt so good…she knew she'd let him do whatever he wanted, however he wanted at this point.

A moment later, he abruptly tugged her underwear down and tossed them over his shoulder with a grin. Then his head was dipping lower…and it took her a second to realize just exactly he was doing until she felt his tongue slide slowly up and down her clit. She gasped for air at the glorious feeling and then his slick tongue was twirling around her more urgently as pricks of ecstasy shot out from the inside of her thighs all the way down to her toes. She knew exactly what he was doing now; he was torturing her…good and slow.

When she moaned softly, she immediately pressed her lips shut, somehow still consciously aware of the sleeping newborn in the next room. If they woke him up, they'd have to stop…

What he was doing with his mouth was most likely illegal, she thought fleetingly as her breathing tightened up in her chest and his tongue continued its ministrations. When he slowly slid two fingers inside her, she couldn't stop her back from arching up towards him and another soft moan to stealthily slide through her lips. It just felt too fucking good to be quiet.

"Please, Jax," she begged breathlessly. She almost couldn't take it anymore. She just wanted him closer, deeper.

His head jerked up at her voice and he grinned back at her, clearly reveling in the control he'd gained over her. Then he was wiping his mouth and scrambling over the side of the bed, rifling roughly through a drawer. When he came back up with the foil package in his hand, he wasted no time to simultaneously rip it open with his teeth and kick his boxers off. Her eyes widened slightly as she watched him roll the condom over his aggressively large, twitching cock and she leaned back into her pillow in anticipation, practically trembling as she waited for him to once again settle himself in between her legs.

He propped himself up on an elbow as he hovered over her and she could feel the tip of him pressing into her. With a deep kiss, he pushed himself fully into her and she didn't care that he was now stretching through what little space she had to give. She would most definitely be feeling the after-effects of that tomorrow but that was the furthest thought from her mind when he groaned into her mouth and started to move inside her.

His hips ground into her with each deep thrust and she lifted hers to meet him halfway. A hand was tangled in his hair and she couldn't stop herself from pulling on it the more deeply she felt what he was doing to her. His hands had her hips in a tight vice-like grip as he brought her up to meet him again as his pace quickened and his thrusts grew rougher. She had to press a hand into his back for something to hold on to while the other moved to his ass to somehow draw him in deeper. His lips were sucking gently on her neck then pressed hotly against her collarbone and all the way up her neck until he found her lips again, his tongue sliding into her mouth.

She could feel herself edging closer to the brink and knew she was about to come undone beneath him. He was slamming into her now, both of them too caught up to slow down, to entangled to break away and when it started, her head fell back into the pillow, her nails dug into his back, and her back arched against as her entire body surrendered. She felt the tremors shoot all the way to her toes as she convulsed against him and she was vaguely aware when he groaned against her lips and then it seemed like his entire body went rigid as he shuddered in her arms.

Their foreheads pressed together as they came back down and she struggled to get hold of her breathing again. One of his arms wrapped itself around her neck and he leaned down to kiss her deeply one more time before slowly sliding himself out of her. He collapsed on the pillow next to her and she snuggled up to him on her side when he pulled her closer with the arm still wrapped around her shoulders.

She rested a hand gingerly on his chest, watching it rapidly heave up and down. She had been partly responsible for the state he was currently in and she was still reveling in the feeling of him in between her legs…it had never felt that good before. While she wasn't completely inexperienced in the bedroom by any means, it had never been that like that—the intensity, the way she just let herself go and give in, the shock of feeling her orgasm zip right down to her toes—was not even close to being on her radar of what was possible in bed.

He shifted around and hitched her leg up and around his hip, pulling up the sheet around them that had previously pooled to the bottom of the bed. When her breathing started to feel a little more normal, a brief flash of reality hit her as her eyes focused in the darkness around his bedroom. She wondered if Wendy had been the last one he'd had in this bed or if he'd even bothered to change the sheets and then quickly shook those thoughts from her head. That wasn't going to do her any good now and there was no use in contemplating over something she couldn't help. All she could focus on now was the present—and it felt pretty fucking good to be lying in this bed, curled up against him.

As her eyes fluttered to a close, she vaguely registered the quick kiss he pressed into her forehead before settling back into his own pillow.

* * *

><p>She wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since they'd fallen asleep. All she knew was that she was jerked awake by a loud, wailing cry coming from both the baby monitor resting on the night stand and the nursery ten feet away. Jax sleepily rolled over onto his side and stretched an arm over his head with a long yawn.<p>

"Shit," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

She rolled over to the other side of the bed and squinted tiredly at the alarm clock. "Ugh…12:27."

He sighed deeply before running a hand over his face and then threw the sheet over as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. A few moments later, he was rifling through a dresser drawer and slinging a pair of shorts on over his hips. She quickly followed suit and reached for his wrinkled T-shirt as she padded after him towards Abel's nursery.

She frowned as they got closer when she heard another noise—and in her sleepy fog, it vaguely sounded like her ring tone.

"Hey, babe," Jax murmured sleepily. "Is that your phone?"

She listened again and ran a hand over her face. "Yeah…fuck, I bet that's what woke him up. Sorry, Jax."

He grinned lazily and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before sneaking into Abel's room. "Don't worry about it."

She reached over the side of the couch and pulled her purse up on the edge of the couch to shift through it. At this point, she didn't really care who was trying to call her at this hour. She just wanted her phone to stop making so much noise so Abel could fall back asleep and so they then could fall back asleep. All she wanted to do was crawl back into bed with Jax and curl up around him like she was before.

So with a sigh, she clicked the send button, ready to get this over with already, frowning at the unknown number flashing across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Emma Delaney?" A strange female voice asked.

The frown crossing her forehead deepened and she felt herself nodding. "Yes, who is this?"

"This is Dr. Wagner calling from St. Thomas Hospital; your mother, Luann, was brought in to ER a short while ago."

"What?"

She felt herself sitting down on the edge of the couch, barely aware that Jax had reappeared from the nursery with Abel in his arms.

"She's been badly beaten…she's suffered some serious blows to the head, a broken arm, leg, and three ribs. We have her in a medically-induced coma right now until the swelling in her brain goes down and her body has some time to recover."

She felt numb. Her body sank lower into the couch as she looked helplessly up at Jax, unable to form the words she needed.

"Miss?" The woman was asking now. "Are you alright? Is there someone else with you I could speak to?"

Her limp arm held out the phone to him and he immediately took it from her, a deep frown etched across his features and his eyes worriedly trained solely on her. She barely heard the quiet, clipped conversation going on next to her even though Jax's eyes never left her as he listened silently to the woman on the other end, nodding and saying "yeah" and "okay" every once and awhile. When he clicked the end button, she was still perched dazedly on the couch, unable to speak, unable to move and then he was crouching down in front of her, Abel no longer in his arms, as he put both hands on her face to force her to look at him.

"Em?" His soft voice sifted through the fog. "Look at me, babe. Listen, I'm gonna get you to the hospital, okay? Go into the bedroom, put your clothes on— I just called Dawn to come over and watch Abel and I'm gonna call my mom while you're gettin' ready so she can meet us there, okay?"

She felt herself nod and he leaned forward to give her a gentle kiss.

"Is she…?" She could barely bring herself to the say the words and she realized that she'd only taken in about half of what that doctor had told her. "Is she gonna die, Jax?"

He leaned forward so he could pull her into his arms and she thought she felt his hand in her hair. "She's gonna be alright, Em. She's just in pretty bad shape right now."

She nodded slowly and tried to get up off the couch but he needed to help her ease up as her unsteady legs started to give out on her. The rest was all a blur as she somehow pulled her scattered, wrinkled clothes back on and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. When she stumbled back into the living room, Jax was already dressed, his cut thrown back on and he talking quickly, almost angrily, to someone on the phone. He glanced at her as she approached and sent her a reassuring smile.

A few minutes later, Jax moved to the doorway and let Dawn in—she hadn't even realized someone had knocked and she barely felt Dawn's arms quickly encircling her and whispering words of encouragement in her ear. She just needed to get to her mom.

The night breeze was rushing around her now as they sped to the hospital on Jax's bike but she just leaned in closer to him, hugging him tightly and desperately fighting the mounting feeling of hopelessness and terror creeping around her. What if her mom never woke up? What if her injuries were too severe to survive? Her mind searched rapidly through the previous night as she tried to come up with the last thing she'd said to her mom…the last time she'd seen her. Luann had looked so happy, so content as she'd pulled away in her Escalade only a few hours before. What the fuck had happened in between? Well, she supposed she already knew that answer to that. Someone had beaten her mercilessly.

Jax had barely gotten his bike parked when she practically pole-vaulted over him to sprint to the ER's entrance. He managed to catch up with her right as she was dashing into the elevator and his arm immediately circled around her, mostly in an effort to settle her down. When the door opened, she searched frantically for the right direction and felt Jax grabbing her hand to steer her down a hallway towards the main desk.

"We're here to see Luann Delaney. She was brought here about forty-five minutes ago." Jax calmly stated to the attendant at the desk.

Much to Emma's dismay, they were directed to the 'visitor's lounge' as the attendant called it to wait for Luann's doctor to give them an update. She slumped into the closest chair she could find, Jax following suit next to her, and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. She leaned her head against his shoulder and tried desperately not to cry. No…she needed to be strong now. She had to keep her shit together.

Sometime later—it felt like hours even it was, in reality, only a few minutes—Gemma came panting through the sliding doors with Clay closely on her heels. Her eyes widened when she saw them sitting in the chairs and wasted no time to close the distance between them.

"Any word yet?" Gemma asked breathlessly.

Jax shook his head and Gemma ran a nervous, shaky hand over her mouth, nodding slowly. She shifted anxiously from side to side for a few moments before resigning herself to sit helplessly next to Emma, reaching over and sliding her hand into hers and squeezing it softly.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Gemma whispered hoarsely to her.

Emma just forced a small smile onto her face and felt Jax squeeze her shoulder. She sighed deeply and ran her free hand over her tired eyes, wishing this was all a bad joke and that she would wake up now—nestled comfortably underneath Jax's arm in his bed. But she was swiftly reminded that this wasn't the case when a doctor approached with a somber expression on her face.

"Are you here for Luann Delaney?" The doctor, presumably Dr. Wagner, asked coolly.

They quickly stood as Emma nodded. "Yes, I'm her daughter. Is she going to be alright?"

Dr. Wagner exhaled quickly before shooting a small but genuine smile in her direction. "She's suffered some serious injuries but thankfully, there was no hemorrhaging in her brain. The swelling should go down in a few days but the broken bones, of course, will take longer to heal."

"When will she wake up?" Gemma asked quickly.

"That's hard to say. It really all depends on the signals her body gives us. If she responds well and shows us the signs of healing we need to see, we can wean her out of the medically-induced coma . But like I said, it's difficult to say exactly when that will be—most patients take a few days but this is a more unusual head injury."

Emma frowned. "What do you mean?"

Dr. Wagner cleared her throat before speaking again. "Your mother's injuries were most likely sustained through some sort of blunt object. My guess would be a baseball bat."

She heard Jax curse under his breath next to her and Gemma's sharp intake of breath on the other side of her and…her legs started to give out on her and she probed behind her for the armrests as she slumped back into her chair.

"Can we see her?" She heard herself asking.

Dr. Wagner nodded. "Only immediate family though."

"Thank you, doctor." Gemma stepped closer to shake her hand.

Then she was following Gemma down the hallway of the emergency room, stopping before door that Dr. Wagner gestured to. She only glanced back at the waiting room once and saw that Jax and Clay were huddled over in their chairs in deep discussion. Gemma was already walking into her mom's room when she turned back and she felt her breathing quicken in her chest as she braced herself for what she was about to see.

Her mother lied on a stiff, white hospital bed several feet in front of her and she was barely recognizable. Her face was swollen with ugly crimson gashes splitting across each side and one closed eye had turned a deep bruised purple. Large, white gauze was wrapped tightly around her head and Emma could make out the slight outline of red underneath the left side of it. Her left arm and leg were already plastered inside a cast and there was evident bruising and deep scrapes on her right arm. The rest of her was covered with a light checkered blanket but for the most part, she almost looked…peaceful. Like the coma had blocked out whatever had happened to her and if she looked beyond the bruising and bandages covering her face, she might've just looked like she was asleep.

With a heavy sigh, Emma ventured deeper into the hospital room and moved over to the opposite side of the bed that Gemma had claimed. She scraped a chair over to the side of the bed and fell down into it at her mother's side. She ran a tired hand over her face and glanced at Gemma, who was struggling to keep her own tears at bay. And when she pulled her eyes back to her mother, the weight of all this set heavily on her shoulders and she felt her chest beginning to heave as she struggled for air.

Only an hour before, she'd been blissfully happy, asleep in bed with Jax. Talk about dramatic highs and lows.

One traitorous tear slipped down her cheek and then there was no stopping the wave that followed.

* * *

><p>Jax ran a hand over his eyes and bounced his right knee nervously to the side, aching for a cigarette. He'd felt anxious the moment he'd caught wind of Emma's initial conversation with the doctor at his house and he had a sinking feeling that anxiety wasn't about to go away any time soon. He was trying not to think about what he'd been doing only a few hours before, feeling Emma's naked, slick body against his—her smooth skin and fuck, had she been wet—but he quickly shook this thoughts from his head. That was only making him more anxious. Instead, his mind drifted back to Emma's almost catatonic expression when she'd handed him the phone. That had scared him more than anything and now, was quickly making his anxiousness multiply by the minute.<p>

"This had to be Georgie, right?" He asked finally as he watched Emma and Gemma walk into Luann's hospital room.

Clay nodded grimly, his lips set in a firm line. "Don't know who else would have it in for her other than him."

"A fucking baseball bat, though? That is some kind of ghetto revenge, don't you think? I guess I just didn't think he was capable of that kind of shit."

"I don't know about you, Jax, but something about all this feels off to me." Clay conjectured quietly. "We know he wanted her business and sure, he was stupid to break in to CaraCara like that and do what he did but this is a whole other ball-game completely. There's something about this that smells like desperation to me, like his back was against a wall."

"But why, though?" Jax asked incredulously, unable to completely wrap his head around this situation. "I had taken care of it—told him to back the fuck off."

"Yeah, well," Clay offered soberly. "He apparently didn't get the memo the way you intended."

Jax exhaled in frustration. That shit wasn't helping. "I'm just trying to figure out why he would go this route…I mean, you don't jump from threatening employees to beating the owner with a baseball bat all for a shot at some more business."

"That's what I'm sayin'…I think it's time we did a little diggin' on our friend Georgie—find out who he's really workin' for." Clay resolved.

Jax nodded. "Church tomorrow, then?"

"Right, there's not much we can do at one in the morning here. Our best bet now is to get the girls home and then deal with it in the morning. Get Juice on the intel first thing and bring it to the Redwood as soon as he has it."

Jax nodded again. Georgie Caruso hadn't seemed like such a formidable threat before when they'd had their friendly discussion in his office. A little cocky, sure. Over-confident, definitely. But not desperate. It was anyone's guess as to what had happened in between and what, exactly, Georgie had gotten himself into to force him to take such a drastic action against Luann, and , for all intents and purposes, Samcro as well. All he knew, though, was that unless some guardian angel plucked him up into the sky, Georgie Caruso was as good as dead.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-**Well, things are finally starting to move along a little bit here-but they still have an uphill battle to even coming close to admitting what kinds of feelings are the driving forces behind their actions.

I've gotten some questions about where Tara is or if she's coming back and I have no plans to bring Tara into this since I feel like that would over-complicate a situation that is already very complicated. Wendy, on the other hand, will be showing up again.

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter-your feeback really is invaluable to me and definitely keeps me working. Thanks!


	9. Aftermath

TRUE LOVE WAY

Chapter Nine

June Stahl had been having the most blissful, peaceful dream she'd had in a long time. Every player was there—they were all assembled side by side, guns and knives in hand. Teller was bloodied and beaten to a pulp, clutching the seeping hole in his chest. The front of Morrow's shirt was drenched with blood as he lied sprawled out on the concrete—dying a slow, painful death. Their enemies—still completely unknown to Samcro, which made this all the more sweeter—were strewn about the street in similar states, all crying for help, all bleeding and broken while their women cried over their cold, dead bodies. It was everything she could've hoped for and more. The sweetest dream…

Which made the loud buzzing at her head all the more despicable. She'd been having so much fun in her sleep too. With a deep sigh, she rolled over onto her side, swatting away Hale's grasp as she reached out to grab her phone from the nightstand.

A quick glance at the caller id and she muffled her groan with her hand, running it over her tired face and through her hair.

"What the fuck do you want?" She barked into the phone. "This had better be good—do you even know what fucking time it is?"

"I'm sorry, boss," Caruso's breathless voice rang out on the other end. "I didn't know what else to do…I fucked up. I really fucked up…the Sons are gonna kill me. I'm a fucking dead man!"

Stahl ran another hand over her eyes. She was too tired right now for this shit. "Alright, alright…slow down. What happened?"

"I was just doin' what you said…all I wanted to do was scare her, make her see my side of things but she just kept screaming at me and she wouldn't shut up…she just wouldn't shut up!"

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she listened, not liking where this was heading. "Who are you talking about and what did you do now?"

"Luann," he exhaled shakily. "I just started hitting her…I didn't even know the baseball bat was in my hand…I think I might've killed her. I don't know; we left her on the side of the road but the Sons…they'll know I did it—they're gonna kill me now. You have to help me—get me the fuck out of here!"

Stahl just shook her head, unable to believe her ears. She'd really underestimated the level of his complete idiocy. He had no boundaries. No fucking filter. It was like he hadn't listened to a single word she'd told him. Now, he'd become nothing but a liability to both investigations and she wished, more than anything, that she had never made contact with him in the first place. It hadn't gotten her anything but a little bit more intel on Teller which, honestly, she probably could've figured out on her own at this point. She needed him the fuck gone.

"When I told you to be more subtle with your scare tactics, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind. Assault and battery was never part of our deal, Caruso. You're just going to have to figure this one out on your own—I can't be a party to this." She stated coolly.

"What?" Caruso's panic shot out through the phone. "You can't just let them kill me…we had a fucking deal!"

"And you negated on your part of it the second you put a baseball bat to Luann Delaney, you stupid son of a bitch. As far as I'm concerned, we have no deal." She shot back icily.

"I'll tell the Sons about our deal then—I'll tell them everything," he rushed. "You know they're gonna find me sooner or later and if you won't help me, then fuck you!"

Stahl practically leapt off the bed at his words. "You tell Samcro anything about our deal and not only will I shred every single piece of evidence that we were ever connected but I'll have the Feds haul your sorry ass in jail so fast you won't know what fucking hit you. Not to mention you'll have that assault and battery charge on you too—you'll be locked up for at least 25 to life with all those charges combined. Now if I were you, I'd get out of town and never look back. Pray Samcro doesn't find me and bail out of the country altogether."

There was nothing but silence on the other end.

"Do you understand what I'm telling you? It's over, Caruso."

She didn't wait to hear his reply and simply hit the end button on her phone. Caruso was the last of her worries now—even if the stupid asshole ratted to Samcro, they'd have zero proof. Besides, she had a feeling that he was more resourceful than he looked and that he'd heed her advice in a timely manner and get himself the hell out of town for good.

"Everything alright?" Hale asked sleepily from his side of the bed.

"It's fine—I'll tell you about it in the morning. Just go back to sleep."

She closed her eyes as she settled back into her pillow and hoped that she could fall back into the dream she'd been having. Everything always had a way of working itself—she knew that for a fact. There was no need to be concerned about someone as insignificant as Georgie. But if he didn't get out of town fast enough, maybe there was a silver lining in this after all. If Georgie Caruso mysteriously went missing, maybe she'd finally have the goods she needed to bring them in.

* * *

><p>Emma rubbed her tired temples as she followed Jax through the front door of his house. After the doctor on duty at the emergency room unceremoniously told them all to go home after several hours of simply sitting by her mom's bedside, she'd finally agreed to allow Jax to take her home. Of course, his definition of 'home' was <em>his <em>home but she was too exhausted to focus on the details at this point. There was no use in staying any later in the morning anyways. Her mom was still lying in the hospital bed where she'd left her and her mom was still going to be there after she got some sleep.

Dawn was sleeping peacefully on Jax's couch when they walked through the door, a blanket wrapped tightly around her. Jax leaned over the back of the couch and gently shook her awake. It took her disoriented eyes a moment to realize what was going on and her eyes widened abruptly when they began to focus.

"Shit…sorry, I didn't realize you guys were back," Dawn murmured sleepily. "How's she doing?"

"She's stable," Emma exhaled as she ran a hand over face. "There's not much we can do at this point except wait…I'm gonna back to the hospital later though."

Dawn nodded, folding up the blanket as she spoke. "Okay, I'll go with you…but you need to get some sleep, Em."

She felt Jax nodding emphatically behind her and then there was a light pressure on her back to push her gently down the hall and towards his bedroom. Still, even though her body felt like it was going to completely give out on her, she didn't think sleep would come so easily.

"Was Abel alright? Did he wake up while we were gone?" She asked instead.

Dawn sighed, knowing exactly what she was doing. "He woke up once a little while after you guys left—I gave him a bottle and then he went right back to sleep."

Jax's phone abruptly started buzzing in his pocket and he stepped into the kitchen. Emma took that as an opportunity to slump down on the couch next to Dawn and rested her head on her best friend's shoulder, grateful to just be able to rest awhile. Dawn, thankfully, seemed to realize that all she needed right now was quiet.

At the feel of some light pressure on the top of the couch, both girls looked up to see Jax peering down at them.

"I need to head over to the clubhouse in a few hours—some things came up that we need to take care of." Jax murmured quietly.

"Okay," Emma whispered back.

Jax opened his mouth to reply but Dawn beat him to it.

"So why don't you two go pass out for a little while, huh? I'm fine on the couch…besides, I have no problem taking care of Abel either." She started waving her arms at them to push them towards the hallway. "So get going—get some freaking sleep. I'll be here when you wake up, Em, okay?"

"Thanks, Dawn." Jax smiled down at her as he started pushing Emma down the hallway. "You're the best."

"Less talking, more sleeping." She tossed back as they continued their trek towards the bedroom.

Jax chuckled and shook his head, still slowly walking Emma closer to the bedroom. They only stopped for a moment to peek in Abel's room and were satisfied when they found him dozing soundlessly in his crib. When they passed the threshold of the bedroom, Jax's hands were gently massaging her shoulders and she knew he was trying to relax her. Although the gesture was appreciated, she knew it was going to take a lot more than that to get her to relax for awhile after the night she'd just had.

They wordlessly pulled off their clothes—Jax tossed her a clean T-shirt to sleep in—and climbed back into bed. As she tried to get comfortable against the pillow, she felt a hand snake across her hip and slide her backwards, pressing her back tightly against his chest. He gently kissed the back of her head and squeezed her a little bit tighter.

"You have to go to the clubhouse because of my mom, right?" She whispered in the darkness.

He exhaled softly and nodded into her hair. "Juice is running some intel right now—he'll have everything ready in a few hours. Then we'll know what we're dealing with."

"Was it Georgie?"

"We don't know for sure and I think so—there aren't a whole lot of other contenders."

She almost asked what they were going to do if it was Georgie—or anyone else for that matter—but the words fell in her throat. She knew exactly how Samcro dealt with 'situations' like this one. Whoever was responsible for what happened to her mother was not going to die easily.

"Get some sleep now, babe," Jax whispered into her hair.

She felt herself nod and then slowly turned around in his arms until her face was pressed into his chest, immediately feeling better as his arms encircled her. She buried her head in the crook of his shoulder and breathed in the mix of leather, grease, and Jax. Maybe this was all she really needed to finally relax. It wasn't so much that she was in his bed…it was just his closeness that she needed right now and the feel of his skin against hers. There was a faint reminder of what had happened only hours before in this bed with him—she could smell it on the sheets-but there wasn't anything hinting to that in his arms now. Just comfort and peace and safety.

As his hands gently massaged her back, he pressed a soft kiss into her forehead and then bent lower to catch her lips in quick, reassuring kiss. Everything was going to be alright now. The horror of this night would pass and her mom was going to survive it. So, in the safety of Jax's arms, she felt herself drift off as her mind finally gave in and shut down.

* * *

><p>The buzzing over his head slowly alerted him to the fact that it was time to get up. Jax had set the alarm on his phone to wake him up as late as possible but he'd still only gotten about three hours of sleep. Once Emma had settled soundlessly in his arms, he'd had a difficult time settling himself down long enough for sleep to actually come. There was just too much soaring around in his head—too many thoughts flying around in all different directions for him to be able to concentrate on rest.<p>

He carefully slid his arm out from underneath Emma's neck and smiled tiredly when she just rolled over, still sound asleep. At least one of them was going to be well-rested today and he figured it might as well be her, given the fucking nightmare she'd had to endure the night before. He knew what it was like…seeing a parent lying bloodied and broken on a hospital bed…the disbelief, the rage, the pain and anguish—wishing you could switch places with him and giving anything to make everything go back to the way it was before. As luck would have it, Luann was going to have a much happier ending than JT did.

After sliding on some fresh clothes and his cut, he pressed a quick kiss into her forehead before creeping out of the room. He wasn't sure when he'd be able to see her again today and, despite the recent turn of events, he had no intention of allowing last night to be a one-night-only event. Now that he'd had her, he had a feeling there was no going back and, for some reason, that wasn't necessarily a panic or vomit-inducing thought. He just wanted more of her—whatever she was willing to give, he was going to take.

He peeked into Abel's room as he passed and was grateful his son was still basically unconscious in his crib. The nanny his mom had taken upon herself to hire didn't start until Monday but life always had a way of making things more complicated. Hopefully, they'd be able to survive through the rest of the weekend until much-needed help arrived. With all this shit going on—and really, when did it ever stop—they were going to need an extra pair of hands more than ever. It was strange how he was thinking in terms of 'we' and 'us' and that didn't just include Abel and himself. He shook those thoughts from his head as he made his way down the hallway. That wasn't something he could ruminate on just yet.

Dawn was curled up on the couch as he passed through the living room and he made a mental note to set up some sort of weekend getaway for her and Juice to repay her for her help. But, at the moment, he had some more important things that needed to be dealt with before he could start working through his ever-growing to-do list.

When he pulled into TM's parking lot, there was already a good amount of Harleys parked in front of the clubhouse. It was a rare occasion that called them all to the Redwood this early—especially on a Saturday morning—but this was one of those occasions. As he stalked through the clubhouse's front door, he found the majority of his brothers lounging around the bar, Bobby pouring out a round of coffee and he strode up to them, trying to mask the weariness in each step he took. He wasn't sure how much leverage Clay was going to afford him in handling this but regardless, he wanted to be the one to right this wrong and he wasn't about to let a lack of sleep dissipate what little control Clay was planning on letting up.

He nodded to Opie and Tig, who lifted up their coffee mugs in acknowledgement.

"What are we waitin' on?" He asked quickly.

"Besides your sorry ass?" Bobby asked, a hand perched on his hip and a coffee pot in the other. "Juice is just finishing up running that intel then we're going to the table."

That seemed fair enough. He gratefully took the mug Bobby held out to him and brought the much-needed hit of caffeine to his lips.

"How's she doin'?" Bobby asked him quietly.

It took Jax a moment to remember that the connection between Bobby and Luann was a little more complicated than just friendship. He wondered fleetingly if Bobby's sober, grim face was a product of genuine concern for the woman he'd been tapping or something else. But it wasn't his place to ask and it wasn't the most pertinent matter at hand anyways.

"She's still in a coma," he shrugged tiredly. "The doc isn't entirely sure when she'll come out of it but she's got some broken bones—an arm, leg, and some ribs."

Bobby swore under his breath and took a gulp from his mug.

"That's some fucked up shit," Tig muttered from the bar. "Luann didn't deserve that—I'm gonna enjoy peeling that guy's face away…piece by fuckin' piece."

Opie just shook his head and ignored him, instead turning his attention to Jax, who was leaning up against the bar. "How's Emma doin'?"

"About as good as you'd expect," he sighed. "She's crashin' at my place now—Dawn's there with her."

"Good." Opie nodded, clapping Jax on the shoulder. "She'll be alright."

He knew Opie was referring to both Delaney women and nodded in appreciation. When Juice appeared with a stack of papers in his hand, they rose from the bar and silently followed him to the Redwood. Once everyone was settled in their seats, Clay pounded the gavel.

"We all know what happened to Luann last night and I just want to make it clear that even if this attack wasn't directed at the club, it's still a club matter. I promised Big Otto when he went inside that the club would take care of his family and we will look after our own." Clay declared authoritatively.

A round of head-nodding passed around the table as he continued.

"We have reason to believe that Georgie Caruso is behind this attack. He's made a move on CaraCara before but never to this extent. I believe-as does our VP—that this is the act of a man with his back against the wall. Desperate men will do just about anything to save their own necks, as any man at this table can attest to. So, that being said, I asked Juice to do collect some intel on Caruso to see if we can get to the bottom of this cluster-fuck. What do you have for us, Juice?"

"Well," Juice started from his end of the table, holding up the papers in his hand. "It looks like our friend Georgie ran into some legal trouble last year—tax evasion, fraud, money laundering—the whole shit. The Feds have been investigating him for the last few years and it looked like they were about to make a move on him about three, four months ago when the investigation suddenly went cold. All his debts were paid off—I was able to track the source to a private investor but that was all I could get. Whoever paid everything off covered their tracks pretty well."

Jax listened carefully and suddenly, the pieces were all starting to fit together. "When were those debts paid off, Juice?"

Juice rifled through some of the papers to check the date before looking back up at him. "June 5th."

"That's about a week before Georgie showed up at CaraCara. Pretty convenient, don't ya think?" Jax asked, already knowing exactly where this was going.

Tig nodded before pounding a fist onto the Redwood. "That fucker's on Stahl's payroll."

"Or he's just doing her dirty work for her." Bobby pointed out somberly.

"Or both." Opie added.

"So I think our next order of business is to bring Caruso in—maybe some friendly conversation will persuade him to give us some answers." Clay offered before taking a long pull from his cigar. "Let's get over there before he has a chance to slip away—Tig, Opie, Bobby, Chibs, and Jax—bring that fucker back in one piece."

Jax grinned at Tig from across the table. He was going to thoroughly enjoy this.

* * *

><p>Emma rolled to her side and glanced at the alarm clock on the night stand next to her. She sighed and rubbed at her eyes, grateful to have gotten a little bit of sleep. Her hand fell to the empty space where Jax had been and she rolled over until her face was meshed in his pillow. It still smelled like him.<p>

The smell of coffee wafting through the door had her flipping the covers over her and lightly padding to the doorway. She stopped midway towards the door to throw her jeans and her shirt back on—having realized she had been just about ready to walk out of Jax's bedroom in only his over-sized white Samcro T-shirt. Dawn would've had a field day over that one and she suspected her best friend already had plans to ambush her the second she stepped foot out of the bedroom.

Dawn was resting comfortably on the couch with Abel nestled easily in her arms. She was fiddling with his pacifier—it seemed every time she tried to pop it in his mouth, he just spit it back out at her.

"Oh come on, buddy," she was cooing to him. "You have to take it eventually—I need to practice here."

"So that's _really _why you came running when Jax called you last night," Emma laughed as she plopped herself down on the couch next to Dawn and Abel.

"Well, I figured I might as well get a head start on all this motherhood shit—especially considering that it's all gonna be knocking on my front door in about seven months." Dawn shot back with a grin.

Emma laughed as Dawn slid Abel into her waiting arms and when she looked down at the baby gazing up at her, she felt the uneasiness that had taken root in her stomach slid away. Abel reached up to her, his tiny fingers unfurling in an attempt to grasp a wisp of her hair. When he found what he was looking for, he held on tight—making a short wince cross Emma's face as he pulled lightly, almost as if to draw her down closer to him.

"It's kind of amazing to see you with him, you know," Dawn spoke softly as she eyed them curiously. "He definitely knows who you are—he gave me up pretty easily in favor of you, that's for sure."

"Well," Emma reasoned quietly as her eyes fell back to a silent Abel nestled against her. "I guess I've been visiting him pretty much since the day he was born. It's only logical that he would recognize me."

"He doesn't just recognize you, Em," Dawn shook her head. "He _knows _you. There's a big difference."

Emma knew what Dawn was getting at but tossed the glaringly obvious and yet unspoken observation aside. Instead of responding, she bounced Abel gently for a few moments before tucking the pacifier back into his mouth with little resistance, earning a snort from where Dawn sat on the couch.

"So," Dawn started slowly. "Should we talk about what happened last night now or later?"

She sighed and ran a hand over her face, curling her legs up underneath her. "It was pretty ugly, Dawn—I know she's gonna be alright but I'm not sure I want to rehash all that right now, if that's okay with you."

Dawn just shrugged. "I wasn't talking about that…I meant the fact that you and Jax," she bent over and covered Abel's ears with both hands. "_Fucked _last night. Can we please talk about that?"

Emma groaned and winced slightly before meeting Dawn in the eye. Her best friend smirked knowingly at her and shook her head.

"Did you really think I didn't know? I mean, it was already obvious when you were at his house at 12:30 in the morning—and not sleeping on the couch, I might add—I could practically smell it in the air the second I walked in. So…how was it?"

She just rolled her eyes, unable to stop the light blush creeping onto her cheeks. She figured she might as well be honest. If she wasn't, Dawn would smell that on her too. "It was…pretty amazing actually. Better than anything before…I know I don't have that many guys to compare him to but he definitely knows what he's doing."

Dawn nodded with approval. "I figured as much. It's kinda different though, right? When it's with someone you really care about?"

Emma took in a shaky breath at this new assertion and fought down this notion, even though, deep down, she knew it to be true. She just didn't want to talk about it right now.

"So…what happens now, Em? Have you guys talked about any of this?"

"It's not like there was much time," she shot back a little too hotly. "Some more important things came up, remember?"

Dawn held her hands up in defense. "Okay, okay. Sorry. I just think you're going to regret it if you don't sit down soon and figure out what your relationship is. I mean, do you want it to be exclusive? Do you want to be his old lady? You kinda need to have that conversation before some crow-eater tries to get at his junk at the clubhouse. You both need to know what an appropriate response to that situation is."

She considered this advice carefully but just the thought of sitting Jax down and having this conversation while her mother was in a coma in the hospital unnerved her.

"Well," she started slowly. "You had that conversation with Juice, I'm assuming?"

"Hells yeah," Dawn replied confidently. "I made it very clear that if any other woman comes within three feet of his naked junk that it would be over between us like that."

"What about when he goes on runs?"

They were both very aware that whatever happened on a run, stayed on a run and that Sons were given free reign when outside the limits of Charming. That had never really sat well with her and she'd always liked to believe that her own father had been immune to that particular fringe benefit of being a member of Samcro. Cheating, even if it was happening out of Charming, was still cheating, wasn't it? Even if her dad had refrained while on a run, he was one of the few to refuse that freedom. She couldn't really imagine asking or, God forbid, telling Jax, the VP, not to indulge when he was away but the thought of it happening still made her skin crawl. No, she didn't want him to be with anyone but her.

"I can't necessarily stop him since I'm not there, can I?" Dawn replied with a shrug. "But he still knows that if I ever found out about it, I'd drop him. So I figure it's his decision if he knows what the consequences are. Besides, knowing that, if he does it anyways, then he's really not worth being with, right?"

"But couldn't he still do whatever he wants—considering that you two aren't open about your status yet? If you're just his old lady in secret, what difference does it make?"

The irony of Dawn's advice was starting to get to her. How could she really sit there and lecture her on much being forthcoming with Jax when Dawn was too afraid to let the rest of the club, specifically Tig, know that her and Juice were together?

"I guess you have a point there," Dawn signed with some resignation. "But I still think you're going to regret it if you don't talk to him soon—especially since you _can _be open about your relationship with the rest of the club."

Instead of responding, Emma just turned her attention back to Abel, who was staring up at her with wide, curious blue eyes.

* * *

><p>If Georgie thought they were stupid enough to go straight to Lacuna—and not his house first—then he was dumber than Jax had ever given him credit for. When he had gleefully pulled the phone out of Georgie's trembling, white hands, Georgie looked like he'd practically had a heart attack. Before he'd had a chance to do just about anything, Tig was wrapping a black gag around his head and pushing him out of the room and towards the waiting van. Despite his kicking and muffled pleas for mercy, they'd smuggled him into the van with little difficulty. Now, Georgie was tied to a chair, still gagged but completely silent.<p>

At least he looked appropriately terrified given the predicament he'd put himself in.

Clay strode up to him and rested both hands gently on the armrests as he peered down to get right in Georgie's face.

"Hey there," Clay began with a smirk. "I'm gonna take this gag off but only if you promise not to cry and scream like a baby, alright?"

When Georgie quickly nodded, Clay reached around his head and slipped the gag off. Georgie sputtered for a few moments as his chest heaved violently. His eyes widened when he realized that the rest of the Sons had quickly encircled his chair and were now staring down at him. His entire body seemed to tremble as he looked helplessly from one Son to the next.

"Look, I—" he started before Clay abruptly cut him off.

"Let's start with Luann Delaney, shall we?" He pushed out gruffly. "Let's start with how you beat her to a bloody pulp with a baseball bat."

Georgie furiously shook his head. "No—no—you don't understand…I—"

Jax stepped closer, having biding his time long enough at the wayside. His hand stretched out until the cigar trimmer he was holding fit snugly around Georgie's index finger. "Now, we both know what's eventually going to happen here. You might as well give us what we want and this will all go a little easier for you."

When he started to squeeze the trimmer, just barely skimming the surface of his skin and drawing a thin line of blood, Georgie was won over.

"Alright, alright." He cried out. "I did it, okay? I did it—I wasn't trying to kill her but she just wouldn't shut up…she wouldn't stop yelling at me. I was just trying to scare her…"

"With a fucking baseball bat?" Bobby growled.

Clay held out a hand to Bobby, who abruptly took a step back. When he turned his attention back to Georgie, he was trembling from head to foot.

"What are you gonna do to me? Whatever it is—just get it over with already."

"We didn't need a whole lot of confirmation that you were the one behind that little doozy—what we want to know is why you were trying to 'scare' her, as you said." Clay gestured as he spoke. When Georgie opened his mouth to respond, Clay quickly clipped him off again. "The _real _reason, asshole, not some bullshit about you wanting Luann's business."

"I was just trying to scare her, I swear," Georgie sputtered helplessly.

Clay nodded to Jax, who with a triumphant grin, pressed down harder on the trimmer until it dug fiercely into Georgie's index finger, blood spurting out and hitting Jax squarely in the chest. He screamed and kicked and squirmed in his chair until Jax finally relented after slicing his finger almost completely in half. It was hanging loosely off the armrest, the severed end oozing with blood so dark it was difficult to even see the white of the bone.

"Are you ready to talk now?" Clay asked calmly. "Or should I have my VP cut another finger in half?"

Georgie sputtered again and his head lobbed back, as he fought to retain consciousness. Jax shook him roughly by the neck, making his head snap back up although his eyes were starting to glaze over from the pain.

"Who paid off your debts?" Clay asked in an eerily still voice. "Don't even try to deny it. We did a run on your finances and were very intrigued at what we found."

"I…I…" Georgie murmured, his neck turning into rubber. "I don't know what you're talkin' about…"

Jax smirked smugly as he bent closer to Georgie. "You're holdin' up better than I thought you would but we're not interested in playin' games with you."

With that, he dug the trimmer out of Georgie's sliced index finger and proceeded to edge it around his middle finger. Georgie's eyes widened in horror and he began furiously shaking his head, trying to bounce himself away despite Tig coming up behind him and grasping tight hold of his shoulders.

"Alright, alright," Georgie sobbed. "I'll tell you whatever you wanna know…I'm fucked either way…fuck…"

"You know what we want." Jax replied grimly, still holding tight to the trimmer in his hand, his fingers itching to squeeze.

"Who paid off your debts?" Clay repeated. "Who are you working for?"

Georgie exhaled shakily. "The ATF…she told me I'd have immunity."

"Who?" Jax pressed, knowing they needed the specifics if they were going to take any further action with this new, confirmed information.

"Stahl." Georgie spat. "I was supposed to shut CaraCara down—she cleared my debt and promised me immunity if I did it."

"But you didn't," Clay mused. "So is that why you went after Luann? She put the pressure on you?"

"It was my last chance before she turned me over to the Feds," Georgie reasoned, his shoulders still trembling.

"She tell you why you were supposed to shut CaraCara down?" Clay asked.

Georgie shook his head. "No, I swear. That's all I know—she never really wanted to talk to me…I wasn't working fast enough and—"

"Anything else we need to know, my friend?" Clay asked, his patience clearly starting to wear thin.

Georgie's eyes widened, well aware he was quickly running out of time and he began sputtering. "No! You can't kill me! Please, don't…don't kill me—"

"After what you did to Luann, death should be a welcome blessing," Clay asserted grimly.

"She'll know it was you! She'll know if I go missing and she'll be able to connect the dots…don't be stupid here, guys," Georgie laughed nervously in spite of his precarious situation. "I'll leave the country…I'll get the fuck out of here, I promise. You'll never see me again…just don't kill me, please."

Clay took a small step backwards and cast a wary glance to his VP. Jax was fuming to his left and resisted the urge to lunge at Georgie to throttle him. They had what they needed from him and he had been ready and willing to kill the man who'd been the source of so much pain the night before. But, unfortunately, the asshole had a point. If they killed him and Stahl caught wind of his disappearance—or worse, found his body—they'd be waist-deep in a whole other level of shit. Besides, a scumbag like Georgie Caruso sure as hell wasn't worth that kind of trouble.

Jax motioned with his head for Clay to step to the side. When they were a safe distance away from within hearing distance of the man tied to the chair, Bobby and Tig joined them.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Clay," Jax started hotly. "I think we need to let this fucker live another day."

Opie nodded in agreement next to him. "We don't need to be giving Stahl a reason to come sniffing around here, especially if it's over a dead body."

Clay cast a weary glance to Bobby and Tig, who nodded slowly in reluctant agreement. They'd all been gunning for a slow, painful death for Caruso. But in light of this development and the nature of his connection to the ATF bitch, it was best if they erred on the side of caution. Besides, a man like Georgie was bound to get his eventually, one way or another.

"Listen, you fat fuck," Clay spat out. "You have an hour to get yourself out of Charming. You make any moves that aren't related to your departure and my Sergeant at Arms will put a bullet in your head, got it?"

Georgie nodded quickly.

"And if you even think about stepping foot back in this country, let alone fucking California—you're dead. Understand?"

Again, Georgie nodded, probably so shocked at the turn of events that he could barely register what was happening.

"You're being given a gift here," Jax stated coolly, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Don't fuck it up."

As Tig and Opie dragged Georgie's limp form into the next room so he could make his 'arrangements', Jax felt a wave of uneasiness sweep around him. While their interrogation had been a success and they'd gotten more information than they'd bargained for, they were still faced with the aftermath. Stahl was going to play this dirty. She'd already started the game by roping in someone like Caruso as a pawn. At this point, he'd underestimated her—she wasn't just here to investigate; that was clear by the confirmation that she'd wanted CaraCara shut down. She was here to inflict as much damage to Samcro as possible on all sides before making it "crumble", as she'd so aptly put it.

Agent June Stahl had just proven herself a formidable enemy.

* * *

><p>Emma sighed as she stirred the pot of tomato sauce on the stove. After a full day spent between stopping at her apartment to change and shower, holding vigil at her mom's bedside, and cleaning up the last remnants of Abel's homecoming party, she would've killed for a nap. But Dawn had left over an hour ago and she was alone with Abel, who was staring up at her, wide awake as ever, from his carrier sitting on a chair across from the stove.<p>

Gemma had promised that she would swing by and take Abel for the night to alleviate some of the stress until the nanny started but that still wouldn't be for another hour or so. She hadn't known exactly what having Abel around was going to be like and while she definitely was enjoying his company, the restrictions of being responsible for another human being were starting to have an effect on her. It wasn't an unwelcome effect by any means but at the moment, it was keeping her from passing out on the couch—which was all she really wanted to do at this point.

She'd briefly contemplated calling Gemma to see if she could take Abel a little bit earlier than planned but quickly decided against it. The last thing she needed right now was for Gemma to think she wasn't capable of taking care of her grandson.

In lieu of some much needed reprieve, she'd channeled her restlessness into making spaghetti, starting with the sauce, which had always been able to relax her. There was something about stirring the pot, the actual motion of it, and tasting it every once and awhile to make sure she'd gotten the flavors right, that had a calming effect on her. Cooking, in general, had long been a successful stress reliever for her and it was no wonder she'd decided to turn that little space on the corner of downtown Charming into a bistro, which, she thought regretfully, might not be happening now for a while given the recent turn of events.

Her mind was thrown out of its thoughts when she heard the front door open. She jumped a little at the noise and craned her neck until Jax came into view. The weariness and exhaustion—as well as the slight surprise in his eyes to find her there—made her suddenly aware that maybe she'd overstayed her welcome in his house.

When he lingered by the kitchen's entryway with a ghost of a smile on his tired features, she felt herself relax a little. He seemed…relieved to see her. But when he started moving towards her, his cut opened up just enough for her to catch a glimpse of the spattering of blood on the front of his shirt. The wooden spoon abruptly froze in her hand as she stared numbly back at him. He frowned but then looked down to the hole her eyes were currently boring into his chest. His eyes moved carefully from her to Abel, who was watching their interaction with curious wide eyes, before quickly turning his back to her and heading down the hallway. She swallowed nervously as she watched him cast off his cut and then pull his T-shirt over his head as he headed for the bathroom.

When she heard the shower start, she jumped again. Laughing to herself as she started stirring the tomato sauce again, she realized how stupid it was that her nerves were so completely fried that something as trivial as running water could startle her. Maybe it was just the tension in the air that had startled her. At that moment, she contemplated a way she could make a smooth exit. Jax was home now so she technically wouldn't be leaving Abel by himself. But that would be childish, she'd reasoned, and she'd long been telling herself it was time to start acting like an adult.

But was this the bargain she'd made? She knew the baggage she was already bringing to the table, even if he didn't, but she'd forgotten about what he was adding to it as well. Blood on his shirt was only the beginning. That didn't even account for his infant son and somewhere along the line, she'd positioned herself as caretaker of them both. She wasn't sure what she'd signed up for in this arrangement but she was starting to think that maybe Dawn had been right after all. Maybe this—whatever this was—couldn't go much further until they cleared the air and had a mature and brutally honest conversation about the status of their relationship.

With that thought swirling around in her mind, she set the boiler to simmer and made sure Abel was fine where he was before heading towards the bathroom. When she creaked the door open, a cloud of steam misted over her, blinding her view for a few moments until Jax's somewhat blurry form came into view. He was standing with his back to her, his Reaper tattoo staring menacingly at her, even through the blur of the glass shower. In spite of everything, the sight of his naked backside, even an obscured one, was enough to make her quickly forget the tension between them. An arm was propped up against the tile as he ran the other down his hair and then in a flash, he pounded a fist roughly into the tile, startling her into the chair at her side.

He was clearly struggling with something and she quickly ran through the numerous scenarios that could be troubling him. Given the intensity of the last twenty-four hours, it was most likely a combination of everything. A few moments later, the shower shut off and he was reaching for the towel perched at the top of the glass wall. When he opened the door, the towel now slung around his waist, he froze when he realized she was there.

They remained at that impasse for a few moments—him staring at her from the edge of the shower and her staring up at him from the chair by the door. Finally, he ran a hand over his face and moved closer to her until he was crouching down by her. A fist rested softly against her knee, like he was hesitant to fully touch her, and the other clung tightly to the towel around his waist.

"I'm sorry about before," he whispered hoarsely. "I forgot that—"

He stopped abruptly when she rested a hand softly against his cheek, not minding the stubble she found there. He exhaled loudly as his head turned until his lips found her hand.

"What happened, Jax?"

It was a good a question as any and it was a place to start. If they were going to continue on this way, she knew instinctively that he couldn't just gloss over the blood she'd seen on his shirt earlier. That warranted an explanation and not just a story riddled with half-truths. She needed to hear all of it.

It must've been written in her eyes because he nodded slowly against her hand and then stood up to rest against the counter.

"We brought Georgie to the clubhouse," he started quietly, his eyes never leaving hers as he spoke. She wondered fleetingly who was testing who. "We were right—he was the one responsible for what happened to your mom."

"Was that…" she heard herself asking shakily. "Was that his blood on your shirt?"

Jax nodded grimly, his arms folded tightly across his chest.

"Did you kill him?"

She almost didn't want to know the answer to that question. But she _needed_ to know and she was slowly beginning to understand the difference.

When he shook his head in answer to her question, she blew out the breath she'd been holding. At the same time, she was grateful for his honesty as well.

"I didn't kill him. Tig escorted him out of the country."

She swallowed in agitation. So Jax hadn't murdered someone today but that still didn't explain how the blood got on his shirt.

"I cut off one of his fingers with cigar trimmer."

The words hung in the air as she remained rooted to the chair beneath her, unable to breathe. Her eyes lost focus for a few moments and it was all she could do to just drag herself out of the fog left behind by his words. How was she supposed to respond to that? Did he want a medal? A pat on the back because he'd managed to hold himself back from killing Georgie? He was testing her again, she knew. But she wasn't sure this was a trial she wanted to take.

As she struggled to breathe, he remained against the counter, his arms still crossed in front of him and his eyes focused deliberately on the wall directly in front of him.

"If you wanna go," he murmured. "I get it—I won't try to stop you."

The resignation in his voice snapped something inside her and she abruptly rose to her feet, quickly closing the short distance between them. As if they had a will of their own, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and she pressed herself into his bare, still dripping chest, resting her head against his shoulder with a heavy sigh. In spite of everything, the last thing she wanted to do was leave. The defeat in his eyes, the sadness in his words, the careful way his arms slowly settled around her waist, the more she wanted to stay. He'd given her an out and she wasn't going to take it—and maybe that was as far as the discussions about the nature of their relationship needed to go. They were going to have to take this one piece at a time and this was about all she could take today.

It wasn't going to be easy but this aspect of him was going to have to be something she'd learn to deal with in time. She hadn't counted on this part of it—the blood, the violence, the danger—everything that came along with being a member of Samcro. But as long as he was honest with her, even if it was bluntly honest, she would appreciate anything he was willing to share with her. At this point, she just wanted whatever he was willing to give her.

When she lifted her head, his lips came crashing down on her, moving over hers with a desperate hunger that hadn't been there the night before. It was as if he was clinging to her for dear life—like he couldn't believe she was still standing there. Part of her couldn't even believe she was still standing there.

Step by step, they were going to figure this out. They were definitely going to make some mistakes as they fumbled through it, but it was better than the alternative. And as his hands pressed her closer against him and a low moan rumbled in his throat, she knew there was no where else she'd rather be than right here in this bathroom with him.

She motioned with her head towards the hallway and smiled up at his hesitant face. "Come on—Abel's waiting for you in the kitchen. You hungry?"

He nodded slowly and allowed her to pull him to the doorway. When she turned to head back into the kitchen, he abruptly pulled her back and settled her tightly back into his arms before pressing a hard, hungry kiss into her lips. A lop-sided grin slid across his features as he playfully tried to wrangle her towards his bedroom, a light hand skimming her ass before smacking it. She let out a small yelp and pushed him towards the bedroom with a wide grin.

When he winked at her, backpedalling towards his bedroom for clean clothes, she felt a breath of relief push from her lungs. It was the promise of what was to come that sent her stomach through a series of backflips—she didn't want to leave and he wanted her to stay. That was enough for now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-**Sorry this update took a little longer than I'd planned. I took a little impromptu vacation with my boyfriend this past week and didn't really have any time to write but I'm back on my normal schedule now so updates should be coming more regularly.

Thank you again to everyone who's been reviewing/alerting this story-the feedback definitely keeps me motivated. We're getting closer to Samcro's true enemy rolling into Charming-Georgie was like the pregame and Stahl is just sitting off to the sidelines biding her time. There have been a few speculations about who/how Stahl is going to use this enemy (and Emma's connection to them) against Samcro but keep them coming! Your guesses let me know I'm on the right track and keeping you guys on your toes.

As always, please let me know what you thought of this chapter...I really appreciate your feedback!


	10. Service

TRUE LOVE WAY

Chapter Ten

"Yo, Sack! What the hell are you doin'?" Jax hollered from where he stood at the opposite end of the clubhouse. "You know you're off prospect duties for the day—gotta keep all your strength for the fight tonight."

Half-Sack's eyes widened and he quickly set down the heavy case of beer he'd been hauling. He shrugged sheepishly and looked around the clubhouse like he didn't know what to do with himself now. The prospect had become so accustomed to doing all the bitch work—from stocking beer to cutting a deer's head out of a windshield—that having the night off didn't seem to sit well with him. Jax just chuckled and waved it off.

"Go have a beer or somethin', Sack—not too many though, a'ight?" Jax grinned from across the clubhouse.

He shook his head as he watched the prospect stalk off and pointed at one of the newer prospects, Miles, to grab the case of beer that Half-Sack had left stranded. With that mundane task out of sight and out of mind, Jax got back to the matter at hand—preparing the clubhouse and all its inhabitants for the night's events. With the nature of Caruso's arrangement with Stahl brought to light, it was imperative now more than ever that they retain affable and smooth business relationships with both the Niners and the Mayans. Clay had put him in charge of seeing to all the details and now he was working meticulously, almost obsessively, to make sure that everything was in its correct place. There was no way he was going to fuck this up—especially if Chibs, Half-Sack, and Tig were representing Samcro in the ring. There was easy money to be made tonight and he was more than willing to take the credit for orchestrating the entire event.

When he caught sight of Morgan, a croweater who'd been steadily making the rounds among his more unattached brothers, he waved her over with a brief flick of his wrist, wanting to get this part of his machinations over with as quickly as possible. Everyone had a job tonight, he reminded himself as she sauntered over to him on her sky-high heels, and that included crow-eaters and sweet-butts. In fact, they were an integral part in making this night go off without a hitch—and he knew it wouldn't take much to bring them up to heel.

"Hey Mo," he purred to her as she slid an arm around his shoulders. He wasn't exactly crazy about it but knew he needed to lay the charm on thick in order for her to get the message that much faster. "I got a favor to ask ya."

Morgan's eyes widened and her lips spread into a wide, grateful smile. No doubt she'd been wondering when she was going to have a shot at him…her wait was still going to be infinitely long but she didn't need to know that quite yet.

"Of course, Jax," she trailed a finger down his chest as she spoke. "Anything you need-you got it."

He grinned back at her, knowing he had her right where he wanted her. "You know the club has a big night tonight, right?" He waited for her to nod before continuing. "We're hosting two other clubs that are very important so you need to make sure all the other girls are here. Anything those guys want, a beer, a lap-dance, anything—they get it, alright?"

Morgan nodded carefully, her eyes shining with understanding. "Sure, Jax. You got it."

He grinned down at her again and tried to slither his way out from under her arm but she had somehow managed to snake a leg around his calf, holding him tightly against her. This bitch was really starting to piss him off—if he didn't need her cooperation, he'd have thrown her off of him by now.

"When are you gonna bring me back to your dorm, Jax?" She breathed into his ear. "I've been dying to see the inside of it."

It was with considerable effort that the grin remained frozen on his face as he carefully wrenched her hand off of his chest and gently pushed her away. "Sorry, darlin'. There'll be plenty of guys for you to choose from tonight—have at 'er."

He didn't wait to hear or see Morgan's response—instead choosing to shrug out of her grasp and skid a safe distance away from her. Even if he had any interest in what she was offering up on a silver platter, he definitely didn't have time for that shit right now. He patted his pocket for his prepay and swore when he remembered it was sitting somewhere on his desk in his dorm. With a quick sideways glance to make sure Morgan was otherwise occupied and wouldn't notice him slipping down the hallway, he made a break for it.

As he passed through the hallway, he skidded to a stop when he heard low, angry murmurs coming from inside Juice's room. One of those voices was much high-pitched than the other and clearly belonged to Dawn. A quick glance over his shoulder told him Tig was nowhere to be found. This wasn't any of his business but as he started moving towards his own dorm, the voices grew alarmingly louder and his eyes widened when he heard the word "baby" muffled through the door.

He squeezed his eyes shut and winced as Dawn's voice starting coming through the door a little clearer. He really didn't need this shit right now but if Tig heard them, Samcro would be down one fighter because Tig would beat Juice until his fists fell off. What the fuck were they thinking? It was still light out and Tig was still sober so why the fuck were they in Juice's dorm? He shook his head at the stupidity—it was like they were asking to be caught.

With another quick glance over his shoulder, he knocked briskly on Juice's door, praying he'd be able to calm them down and get Dawn the hell out of that room before Tig caught wind that something was off. He listened with growing impatience as the muffled voices abruptly silenced and then after a few beats, he knocked again.

"Yo, bro," he lowered his voice as he spoke in an effort not to action unwanted attention. "It's Jax—you gotta keep it down in there…I can hear everything you're fuckin' sayin'."

The door cracked open slightly after some soft shuffling to reveal Juice's grim face. "Thanks, man."

Jax just shook his head, looking over his shoulder again as he spoke. "What the fuck are you thinkin'? Do you wanna be killed? Get her the hell out of there while you still can, bro."

Juice nodded immediately and made a move to shut the door when a hairy, tattooed arm shot out from behind Jax and pushed the door violently back at Juice.

"Get _who _out of there, Juicey?" Tig spat out venomously. "Who you got in there with ya?"

Jax desperately pulled back on the doorknob to shut the door but Tig just kicked it clear open to reveal his daughter, wide-eyed and terrified as she sat numbly on Juice's bed.

"I knew it," Tig snarled, jabbing a finger at Juice as he spoke. "I fucking knew it! You're a fucking dead man!"

"Tig," Jax started calmly as he carefully stepped behind him. "Think this through. Hear them out before you do anything stupid."

TIg turned abruptly on his heel to face him, his face twisted with murder and rage. "Don't start with me, you god damn hypocrite. Stay out of this."

"You have to fight tonight, Tig. There's a shit-load of money on the line. Don't fuck that up for the club—this can wait until tomorrow, right?"

Dawn nodded tearfully from where she sat, willing her dad to have just one coherent thought and not tear Juice apart limb by limb. When Tig opted to make a menacing move towards Juice, his arms extending out aggressively, Dawn leapt to her feet and threw herself in between them.

"Daddy," she started, the panic evident in her voice. "Please try to understand…I love h—"

Tig's black eyes snapped to his daughter and they narrowed icily. "Don't say it, Dawn. Don't you fuckin' say those words to me. Don't you know what he's doin'? This motherfucker is takin' advantage of you—he'll tell you anything you wanna hear just to get in your pants and when he's had enough, he'll throw you out like yesterday's trash, _sweetheart_."

"Listen, man," Juice shot out breathlessly. "I know what this looks like to you and you have every right to think that but I love your daughter. I wanna marry her and—"

When Tig started to advance on Juice and shoved him roughly in the chest, Dawn grabbed his arm to pull him back.

"Daddy…Daddy, look at me," she pleaded. "You're not gonna like this but I have to tell you anyways to make you understand…Daddy, I'm pregnant."

Tig's eyes narrowed into icy black slits and his breath caught in his throat. Jax blew out a nervous exhale behind them as he waited for someone to make a move—this wasn't going to end well and he had a feeling the club could potentially lose more than just a fighter tonight if he didn't stay on his toes.

"You're _what_?" Tig spat finally, his eyes moving mercilessly between his daughter and the sorry son of a bitch who knocked her up.

Dawn straightened a little as she faced her father. "You heard me, Daddy. I'm pregnant and we're gonna get married as soon as we can."

Tig's eyes flicked to Juice, who was somehow meeting Tig right in the eye—Jax wasn't sure if it was bravery or sheer stupidity. In a flash, Tig's fist shot out and he pounced on top of Juice, despite Dawn's bloodcurdling screams, his fist flailing out ruthlessly and connecting with Juice's face. He was still throwing manic punches as Jax and Opie—who'd heard Dawn's screaming—pulled him off of a very still Juice. Dawn was crouching frantically over his body when Jax and Opie dragged Tig out of the room and threw him abruptly down into the closest booth they could find.

"Fuck, Tig!" Jax spat, running an anxious hand through his hair. "Look at your fuckin' hands!"

Tig stared numbly down at his bloodied, throbbing knuckles and squeezed his eyes shut as Clay crouched in front of him to take a closer look.

"What the hell happened here?" Clay demanded roughly, rising to stare at the three of them in annoyance.

"That rat bastard got my daughter pregnant," Tig pointed a finger towards Juice's dorm as he spoke. "You can ream me out for fuckin' up the fight all you want, Clay, but you and I both know I was well within my rights to beat the livin' shit outta that fucker."

Clay ran a weary hand over his face and he cast a withering glance at Jax, who just shook his head. This situation was too far gone for anyone to do anything productive about it now.

"Those hands won't make it through the whole fight," Opie murmured next to him. "You gotta take his place, Jax."

Clay nodded affirmatively to him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, you wanted to have a hand in everything that goes down tonight—now you got it."

* * *

><p>Emma rocked back in her chair as she surveyed the ever-growing pile of paperwork accumulating on her desk. It had been basically non-stop since the week started and it showed no signs of stopping. CaraCara was off and rolling exactly the way she'd engineered but now, the problem was that her exit strategy had stalled. Not that it was anyone's fault. She sighed as she thought of her mother, who'd been brought out of her coma a few days before, and wondered if she'd really be able to keep her promise.<p>

"Don't worry about it," Emma had tried to reason. "I don't mind holding down the fort for a little while longer."

"Don't be ridiculous," Luann had exclaimed, somehow as feisty as ever in spite of the severity of her injuries. "Bobby can handle everything until I get on my feet again. Don't put your life on hold because of me, sweetie. You've got too much invested in it already."

"Mom, it's fine. There' s a lot of work to do and Bobby can't possibly get it all done by himself."

"Well, fine," Luann had pressed stubbornly. "But only until the doctor says I can go back to work—then I want you the hell out of there."

It was easier said than done, that was for sure. Luann was going to be in a wheelchair until her broken bones healed and Emma wasn't entirely sure Bobby was up to the task of keeping an eye on both the business and her mother at the same time. He was going to need some help.

Luckily, she could put all this away for now because it was time to get the hell out of here for the weekend. As she started heading for the door, her phone buzzed in her oversized purse and she swore softly as she dove for it. Dawn's hysterical, tearful voice was on the other end and the story stopped Emma right in her tracks. She'd always known that Dawn and Juice were playing a losing game by keeping their relationship hidden from Tig and now, the proverbial shit had hit the fan.

"Well," Emma tried to be optimistic. "At least your dad didn't actually kill him. That's a plus, right?"

"Are you kidding me?" Dawn screeched on the other end. "He's lucky if he ever sees me again—I hate him…I fucking hate him for this."

"What did you expect?" She asked gently, preparing herself for her best friend's wrath.

"I expected him to be pissed as hell, sure," Dawn shot back hotly. "But I didn't expect him to actually physically attack him though—you should see Juice's face! Oh my God, Em, he looks like he's been trampled or something."

"At least it's over now, right? Don't you feel better now that he knows?"

Dawn sighed. "I guess. Look, Em, I hate to bail on you for tonight but I can't be anywhere near my father right now. I just…I just can't do it. I might kill him."

She winced and ran a hand over her face. The clubhouse was going to be crawling with croweaters, drunks, and other clubs—she was already nervous about being there in general…it was going to be the first time she and Jax would be in the clubhouse since they'd slept together a little less than a week ago and she wasn't entirely sure she had the stomach for whatever was going to go down at the tournament. The thought of bearing that alone seemed like cruel and unusual punishment.

Still, if their roles were reversed, she couldn't imagine she'd be doing anything differently.

"Yeah, I get it. It's fine," she responded a little too quickly. "Don't worry about me. It's not a big deal."

"Okay," Dawn replied hesitantly and she inwardly cursed her best friend's innate ability to know when she was lying. "You sure?"

"Positive. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Then we can talk about this wedding of yours."

That seemed to relax Dawn a little bit and she laughed before hanging up. She shook her head as she tossed her phone back in her purse. If it wasn't one thing, it was something else—never a fucking dull moment, that was for sure. Her apartment was a welcome sight, even if she'd been neglecting it a little for the past week. She was sure she and Dawn hadn't been there at the same time since Abel's party and the kitchen table had somehow accumulated an impressive amount of dirty clothes and long-forgotten mail. Well, she had to remind herself, they'd both basically just been stopping in to check their mail and get fresh clothes.

Jax had told her more than once that it would be easier if she just brought a bunch of her stuff to his house—she'd be able to shower there and get ready for work. But she'd carefully side-stepped the subject and pushed down the nervousness budding in her stomach every time he brought it up. Sure, it would make getting ready for work easier and she had basically been living at his house since Abel's homecoming party but maybe that was the point. It felt awfully soon to be keeping any personal items at his place, let alone in his bathroom, and they'd yet to really establish what their relationship was despite her spending the last six nights in his bed.

Instead, they'd been basking in the newness of whatever it was that they were—she couldn't wait to get to Jax's and steal Abel away from Neeta and happily start making dinner until Jax came back from his day. Then they'd settled into an easy pattern of domesticity that was oddly comforting to her. And at night, she settled into Jax's bed just as easily as she was settling into his life. It had only been a week but it might as well have been a year. Maybe that was made it so easier to skirt any discussions…and why did they have to put a label on something that was functioning without a hitch? She loved her time with Abel and she loved being there to tuck him in at night, his little fist reaching up to her. And being with Jax, in any capacity—her heart thundered in her chest just thinking about it.

In a weak attempt at working through the pile of dirty laundry staring up at her from the kitchen table, she threw as much as her arms could carry into the washing machine. At least it was something.

A few hours later, she was pulling up to the clubhouse and had a difficult time finding a parking spot. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the place so crowded but then again, she'd never really been around for many of the club's 'social' gatherings in the last few years. There was a small crowd of scantily-clad, high-heeled women congregating in the front of the clubhouse, almost like they hadn't yet been allowed inside and she cast a nervous glance down at her own outfit. She'd decided to keep as much skin covered as possible without looking completely out of place after realizing the other MCs in the clubhouse might equate her with just another croweater if she wasn't careful. So she'd carefully chosen black skinny jeans and matching heels with a loose grey V-neck tucked gently into the front.

But as she skimmed past them and breezed easily through the front door without any resistance from the prospect standing guard outside, she realized it didn't matter what she was wearing. Her purpose for being here wasn't the same as those women out front and they were all dressed appropriately for their roles in the night's events. She was here to support Jax—even if she wasn't crazy about being here by herself—and she wanted to make sure she was the one going back to Jax's dorm room when the night was over. It wasn't so much that she didn't trust Jax…it was more so that their boundaries hadn't necessarily been tested yet and she wasn't interested in scaling those dark waters tonight. She didn't feel comfortable calling him her boyfriend and she certainly wasn't his old lady but that didn't mean she wasn't prepared to put any croweater or sweetbutt in her respective place that got too close. She had no interest in sharing.

"Hey there, sweetheart," Gemma took her elbow as she spoke and steered her towards the bar. "Wanna start drinkin' with me? I think I'm gonna need it tonight."

She just chuckled and allowed herself to be walked up to the bar, where another prospect set two beers in front of them. "You don't like being around for the fights, huh? This is my first one and I'm not sure I'm going to like what I see."

Gemma snorted next to her before taking a long pull from the beer bottle. "Well, you're in for a treat then I guess. It can get pretty brutal—especially since they don't have much in the way of rules at these stupid things—but I can't say I'm excited to see my own son in the middle of the ring."

Emma just about dropped the beer bottle in her hand. Somewhere along the line, she'd been very misinformed about what this night was going to be.

"Oh shit," Gemma muttered under her breath. "He didn't get a chance to tell you yet, did he?"

She numbly shook her head as her eyes scanned the room for Jax's familiar figure. When her gaze settled on the back of his cut, he suddenly turned and his face broke out into a wide grin. After a beat, the grin slipped into a frown, his forehead creasing into a tight line and he said something to Bobby before striding over to where they stood at the bar.

"Hey, baby," Gemma greeted him warmly, reaching up to peck his cheek. "I'll give you two a second."

Jax nodded at her gratefully with a pained smile as she stepped away from them, leaving them sitting by themselves at the bar. He shot the prospect behind the bar a hard glare and the prospect blanched, his eyes widening as he immediately shot out from around the counter.

"Hey, Em," Jax pressed a smile on his face as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You look nice tonight, babe."

She just rolled her eyes, not willing to succumb to his charms just yet. "Were you ever going to tell me you were fighting tonight or was I just supposed to find out when you climbed into the ring later?"

He cocked his head side, his lips curvy up into a sexy smile and she felt her resolve starting to quiver. "I was gonna tell you as soon as you got here but I guess my wonderful mother beat me to it. I'm sure you heard about the fireworks here earlier—Tig beat the shit out of Juice and his hands are fucked now. So, I'm steppin' in..what, you worried about me, Em?"

His cocky, lop-sided grin and the spark in his glinting blue eyes made her blow out a frustrated breath and she shivered a little when his hand skimmed around her waist.

"I'm just not interested in seeing you in a fistfight, alright?" She shot back hotly. "Besides, I didn't know you fought."

He just shrugged, reaching over her with his free hand and taking a long pull from her forgotten beer. "I can handle myself—I'm just not as experienced in the ring as Chibs, Sack, and Tig…that's why we originally went with those three. But hey, babe, you're still gonna stay, right?"

She felt blood rush to her cheeks at the plea in his voice, contradicting the confidence radiating from his smirking face. He squeezed her hip a little as he waited for her answer and then he bent his head lower to whisper in her ear: "I don't think I can win if you're not there, Em."

She just rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully in the chest, shaking her head at him. "Asshole."

His eyebrows rose suggestively and he bit his bottom lip as both hands brought her hips closer to him.

"Hey now," Clay's voice rang out from behind them. "You know the rules, Jax—no pussy before a fight."

Jax's hands immediately went up in the air in mock-defense and Emma desperately tried to keep the heat from rushing to her cheeks. That was the first time anyone in the club had out-rightly acknowledged that their relationship had moved beyond friendship and it sent a sharp shock through her entire body, almost freezing her in place.

"Don't look so stunned, sweetheart," Clay leaned closer to her, lowering his voice as he spoke. "Besides, everyone knows the best part of a fight is what comes _after_ the fight."

He grinned at her as he bit down on his cigar before being pulled away by Gemma. Jax turned back to her, shoving his hands deep into his front pockets in an effort not to touch her, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Well, you heard the man, darlin'," he murmured to her. "Guess I better keep my hands to myself for awhile."

* * *

><p>The first fight between one of the Mayans and the Niners had already begun by the time Jax led her outside. A clustered, tight throng of bandannas, mixed cuts, and crow-eaters had amassed around the boxing ring with loud cheers erupted every time some swung and connected. Her senses were immediately assailed by the strong mix of blood, sweat, and beer and her uneasiness with this whole situation multiplied with every step they took.<p>

Jax's arm remained slung around her shoulders as they took their spot in the crowd. She became acutely aware of her surroundings and took careful inventory of the spectators standing around them. A few men nodded to Jax and she recognized them as Niners. When one of those men drew closer and eyed her appreciatively, Jax's arm tightened around her territorially. The man's eyes immediately flew back to the fight in front of them and she blew out an anxious breath, sliding an arm around his waist to get a little bit closer to him. She knew she wasn't in any real danger but this was a different kind of night at the clubhouse. It wasn't just a party. It was about business and she could feel it in the air too.

A crow-eater wearing a barely-there tube top appeared in front of them with a tray carrying beers. Jax silently grabbed two off the tray with one hand, his eyes trained on the current fight in front of him. Before she could stop herself, Emma instinctively fisted her fingers in the front of his shirt, pulling him to her as her lips greedily sought him. He grinned into her lips and when she finally slid her tongue out of his mouth and turned back to the croweater, she was gone.

She winced as the Mayan in the ring fell down to his knees, blood spurting from his mouth. With a nervous swallow, her eyes flitted anxiously to Jax who seemed to sense her discomfort. He leaned down and kissed her hair as Tig strode up next to them, rubbing his bandaged knuckles.

"Hey, bro," Tig said above the noise of the crowd. "Go get ready—I got her from here."

She wrapped an arm around his neck quickly and felt his lips pressing hurriedly into hers before he started heading towards the opposite side of the ring.

"I'll see ya later, babe," he said with a wink as he disappeared into the crowd.

She wondered fleetingly just how banged up his face was going to be when the fight was over. From what she'd already seen, Gemma had been right. It was the most brutal thing she'd ever seen and she wasn't sure she had the stomach to sit through watching it happen to Jax, blow by blow, even if he did win.

"I taught that motherfucker everything he knows about being in the ring," Tig leaned down to her. "If he doesn't pummel the sorry fuck in the there with him, I'll buy you a new car, okay?"

That did little to settle the nervousness in her stomach and she pressed a pained smile onto her lips. She scanned the crowd, hoping to catch another glimpse of Jax before he slid into the ring, and she winced when her eyes found Juice's face and surveyed his injuries—two black eyes, a busted lip, and countless purple ugly bruises. Jax hadn't been kidding when he said Tig had beaten the shit out of him. It was clear that Juice was keeping a safe distance away from his assailant and she couldn't really blame him, considering it was anyone's guess when all that would blow over.

"So how much does she hate me?"

She turned to face Tig, his eyes shining back at her with a tinge of regret and sadness. She shrugged, not really wanting to lie to him. "She told me she never wanted to see you again."

He swore and ran a hand over his face. "That bad, huh?"

"Can you blame her? You beat the shit out of her boyfriend…she loves him. You know that, right?"

He nodded grimly before casting a wary glance in Juice's direction. "He treatin' her okay?"

"Yeah, he does," she answered with a small smile. Maybe it wouldn't take as long as they thought for him to come around, especially if his relationship with his daughter was on the line. "I've honestly never seen her so happy."

He stared straight ahead and she wasn't sure how much she was really helping at this point.

"But I think," she continued anyways. "She'll be a lot happier now that everything's out in the open. Secrets are a bitch and I know it was killing her to have to keep that from you."

"When did you get so smart?" He glanced down at her, a hint of pride in his eyes.

She just shrugged. "Been around the block enough to know, I guess."

That seemed to satisfy him and for a fleeting moment, she was grateful the next fighters had stepped into the ring—she didn't want to have to elaborate and now he really wouldn't have the time to ask. But then she recognized Jax's familiar broad and muscular back—as well as the Reaper tattoo—and her heart sank. He was jumping up and down in place, tossing his neck from side to side to warm up; his hands had been bound up in white tape, a pair of black Nike shorts slung down on his hips. His opponent, clearly a Mayan, was a few inches taller than Jax and he pounded his fists together like an expert, his eyes slightly glazed over as he paced his end of the ring.

"Don't worry about your boy," Tig winked at her knowingly. "He knows what he's doin'."

Her eyebrows rose at his choice of words in reference to Jax but she didn't get much of a chance to do anything about it when a bell rang and Bobby, playing referee, announced the next fight. Jax and his opponent, Rodriguez, starting circling each other and Emma bit her lip anxiously as she waited for the first blow to be thrown. When Rodriguez's fist connected with Jax's jaw, his head jerked back violently. Emma jumped at the loud crack, audible even above the roar of the crowd.

"Come on, bro," Tig yelled out to Jax. "Shake it off!"

Jax backpedalled, still hopping and he spit some blood out on the rubber in front of him. When Rodriguez swung again, Jax dodged the blow and sparred back at him, landing an easy one-two blow and sending his opponent reeling backwards towards the ropes. From that moment, Jax had him. It was easy to see that anything he lacked in strength or stamina, he easily made up for in confidence. His eyes seemed to glass over with renewed drive and he quickly swung out with two more easy punches right in Rodriquez's jaw.

As the noise of the crowd swirled around her, she found her uneasiness slipping further away the longer she observed Jax in the ring. His body was swinging around with an athleticism she hadn't known he had and something stirred in her stomach as she took in the sight of his sweat-glistening muscles in action. He was stalking around the ring like a predator and—even though she never thought she'd ever admit it—the masculinity coming off of him in waves was extremely hot. A few beats later and Jax swung his right hook around, catching Rodriquez square in the jaw and sending him tumbling to the rubber mat beneath their feet.

When Rodriguez failed to get back up to his feet, Bobby raised Jax's right arm into the air, signaling the winner. The throng surrounding the ring exploded with loud cheers and Emma grinned widely, cupping her hands around her mouth to yell with them. She watched as Jax slid out from behind the ropes and hop down to where Opie and Chibs were waiting for him. They clapped their hands on his shoulders and someone threw Jax a towel.

"Come on, sweetheart," Tig motioned in their direction with his head. "Your boy did good, right? You make sure you take good care of him tonight, yeah?"

She was grateful when he turned away and started leading her towards the small group that had assembled around Jax—that way he didn't see the color settling in her cheeks. It was obvious that the club was well aware they were sleeping together and she hadn't really had time to process that information yet. She supposed they hadn't done a very good job hiding it but they weren't exactly in the same situation as Dawn and Juice. They didn't need the secrecy but it was still awkward to know that the club was aware of her sex life.

As they weaved through the crowd, Jax came into clearer view. He was perched on a picnic table and Chibs was bent over him as he carefully applied some sort of solution onto a cut on Jax's face. Her anxious eyes made quick work of taking stock of his injuries—there was a particularly nasty cut on his nose and few around his jaw line but she immediately noticed that the patch of flesh below his left eye was swollen and turning a deep shade of purple.

Opie stepped to the side to let them through and she waited, a little impatiently, as Tig congratulated Jax on his victory.

"Nice work, bro!" Tig exclaimed, grabbing the back of Jax's neck as he spoke. "I knew you had it in you, you crazy dickhead."

Jax just grinned back at him as his eyes darted behind Tig to wink at her. TIg just rolled his eyes as Chibs grabbed him by the shoulders, still lightly scolding him for his earlier violent stupidity. Before she knew what was happening, a bandaged hand gripped her waist and pulled her between Jax's dangling legs.

"Hey, babe," he grinned at her before leaning forward to catch her lips in a quick kiss.

She reached out to gingerly graze the swelling under his eye and the hand around her waist pulled her even closer.

"That wasn't too bad, right?" He winked at her, that lop-sided grin slipping across his lips.

She rolled her eyes at him and leaned forward to skim his lips as she spoke. "I guess not…you were pretty great out there."

"Were you expectin' anything else, darlin'?" He laughed with a wide grin. "Hey, listen, Em—I gotta go take care of some things. Shouldn't take too long but why don't you head back into the clubhouse, grab yourself a drink, keep the prospect company—I'll find ya when I'm done, alright?"

Her lips curved up into a smile and she nodded, leaning forward to whisper in his ear: "Sure—then we're gonna head straight to your dorm so I can take care of you. I think you've got some cuts that need a little extra attention."

She was still laughing as she sauntered away from him, leaving him sitting on the picnic table with wide eyes and a sly grin on his face.

* * *

><p>Jax was still shaking his head as he watched Emma weave around the crowd and head back into the clubhouse. Playfulness aside, he figured he knew her well enough at this point to grasp the promise in her words and that just made him want to get this meeting over and done with already. His arms were killing him and the swelling under his eye was starting to throb—all he wanted to do was crawl into bed with Emma and let her take care of him. He had a few ideas about what that would all entail but he quickly pushed that aside for the time being. Time to take care of business first.<p>

He'd half-expected her to protest his subtle order to stay in the clubhouse but was grateful she didn't seem too upset by being relegated inside. He hoped she understood it was for her own protection than anything else—not that he didn't want her there, not that he didn't want to show her off, and definitely not that he wanted to make room for some stupid bitch croweater. The men currently assembling in a secluded area behind the clubhouse were dangerous and he didn't want her within reach of them. It was as simple as that.

He'd been a little on edge about it the entire night—the Niners and the Mayans had been promised all the pussy they could possibly want but there was only one that was off-limits as far as he was concerned. That was why he'd commissioned Tig to sit with her during his fight and that was why the prospect was charged with keeping an eye on her the second she stepped foot back inside the clubhouse. Still, he didn't trust these men as far as he could throw them and he'd taken every precaution to make sure none of them got the idea that she was free game. She wasn't.

And while he normally appreciated the sight of her long runner's legs and a peek at her cleavage—he was grateful she'd wisely decided to keep that all under wraps for this particular occasion.

"Well, I'd say the tournament was a success," Clay started with his cigar in hand. "We all won a shit-load of money tonight so I think that's worth celebrating into next week."

Alveraz nodded at his side, an appreciative grin spreading across his usually sober features. "Thank you again for your generous hospitality, Clay. We should do this more often."

Laroy chuckled from where he stood across from them and took a quick pull from his beer bottle. "I know I like the money my boys earned tonight."

"There'll be plenty more," Jax added with a nod to Clay, silently affirming that the night had truly been a success.

They'd kept their business partners happy and sated tonight and that was the best insurance policy they could ask for. With the strengthened bonds of partnership, they'd assured that neither club would have reason to cause any unforeseeable problems for Samcro. And in opening up their clubhouse, they'd also flexed their superiority—leaving little room for doubt that nothing, ATF included, could touch them.

A group of crow-eaters entered the mix with trays of beers and shots and they all held their glasses up in the air to toast the fortified relationship between the three clubs. This had all worked out exactly as he'd intended it to and now he was ready for a little private celebration of his own.

When the meeting broke up and the crow-eaters latched themselves onto Alveraz and Laroy—just as they were supposed to—Jax was grateful that, for all intents and purposes, his part in this event was mostly over with. He was starting to move towards the front entrance of the clubhouse, ready to be taken care of, when Clay pulled him back by the elbow.

"You did good tonight, son," his gruff, gravelly voice echoed across the yard. "I'm proud of you."

Although Clay had been his step-father for almost fifteen years, those four words were difficult to come by—all the more so as he'd gotten older and more involved with the club. He felt like he was constantly having to prove himself, over and over again but this time, he felt like he'd accomplished more than just legit earning for the club.

"You really have a knack for this shit, Jax," Clay went on. "All these business maneuverings—CaraCara and this tournament—this is a real asset to the club. Knowing how to get the club legitimate cash is something you can't be taught."

Jax swallowed as he took in the glimmer of pride radiating from Clay's solemn eyes. This was what he'd been working for and he knew that if Clay was convinced of his worth, the rest of the club wouldn't be far behind.

"Thanks, Clay," he pushed out hoarsely. There wasn't anything else he could say.

Clay nodded with a toothy smile and he brought the cigar in his hand to his lips for a long pull. "Now that this is basically behind us, Unser called me earlier about another protection run."

His eyebrows rose—it had been a few months since Unser had called and these runs usually meant easy money.

"It's just some electronic shit—nothing big but it's gonna bring in $15K for the club and $5K for each man who goes. Should be four, five days tops. You, Chibs, Ope, and Bobby are on rotation."

He'd figured as much. Clay wouldn't be telling him about this right now if it hadn't been his turn on the rotation to go. Part of him didn't necessarily want to leave Charming at this point, considering what he would be leaving behind but the other part of him quickly shook it off. This was easy money and he reminded himself that his bank account was also still down $5K from his little investment in CaraCara. He'd been waiting to cash in on that, partly because Emma still didn't know just how closely he'd been involved in getting the cash she needed but he'd also wanted to make sure the CaraCara could survive if he did. But Abel's doctor bills had already started piling up and next to that, he still had a mortgage to pay. He was going.

When Clay waved him off to head back to the party, he ignored the throbbing on his face and in his arms. He'd been waiting for this clearance from his club duties all night—he could ice in the morning. As he pushed the front door of the clubhouse open, his eyes eagerly scanned the smoky room for what he was looking for.

A slow, lazy smirk spread across his face when he found her with her back to him as she leaned over the pool table to line up her shot. He'd recognize that ass anywhere. She easily popped the striped three-ball into the pocket and then stepped back so the prospect could take his turn. Seizing the opportunity, he crept up behind her and slid his still-bandaged hands around her waist, laughing into her ear when she jumped.

As she turned in his arms, he gently pushed her backwards until she was leaning against the edge of the pool table. He grinned down at her as she glanced embarrassedly around the room but he was oblivious to any on-lookers. Fuck 'em. He just wanted to get her in his dorm—now. The pool stick slid out of her hand and he abruptly tossed it to the prospect.

"I think I'm ready to be taken care of now, babe." He murmured in her ear, grinning when he felt her shiver under his touch.

With a sly smile, she fisted both hands into his shirt and pushed him backwards. Then she slipped in front of him, gently linking her fingers with his bandaged ones and led him to the hallway.

* * *

><p>Emma pushed him gently to the bed, kicking her heels off as she approached him. Her heart was thundering in her chest and it was clear he had every intention of letting her take control tonight. It was a little scary—and she was suddenly struck with just how little experience she had compared to him. He was used to this…used to women bending to his beck and call and while she'd had her fair share of partners in the past—some of them better than others—sex had always been more of a take it or leave it affair. It had never been this mind-blowing, toe-curling, ecstasy-filled romp that she'd read about in trashy romance novels. Because she'd never experienced anything even remotely like what had been described in them, she'd always felt it was a romantic exaggeration and that sex in <em>real<em> life was never actually like that.

But Jax had the expert touch that could only come with years of experience and he'd already made her toes curl many times over the past week. Her eyes closed when she thought about the things he could do with his tongue, with his hips, how she just wanted him in deeper whenever he was inside her. And when it was over, she found herself immediately wanting it again. Maybe those romance novels hadn't been that unrealistic after all.

But now, as he stared up at her from where he sat on the bed, she knew he was waiting for her to make the first move. She'd never been completely in control like this before but she wanted to do this for him. She wanted to take care of him and she wanted to make him feel what she'd been feeling for the past week. But as she edged closer, she could see his chest rising and falling, his eyes burning into hers as his hands fisted into his jeans and she felt powerful with the knowledge that this dangerously gorgeous man wanted her.

With a renewed sense of confidence, she eased her legs over him until she was straddling him on the bed. After pushing off his cut and bringing his T-shirt over his head, she bent down to bring both hands to his neck. Leaning in closer, she gently kissed each part of his face that was injured and when she pulled back, his eyes were shining up at her with something she couldn't quite place. Then he closed the space between them, crashing his lips into hers hungrily. With a smirk, she broke away and playfully swatted away the hands that had twisted in her shirt. She obliged him by slipping her shirt over her head and tossed it behind her. Then she slid down to her knees and unbuckled his jeans.

She bit her lip at his sharp intake of breath when he realized where she was going with this and grinned when he leaned back on his elbows, readying himself. When his raging-hard dick was nestled in her hand, her confidence faltered for a moment. It had been awhile since she'd ventured down this road and she wondered fleetingly how her 'skills' would measure up against what he'd had before. Then the moment was gone and her resolve snapped back into place. He'd earned this tonight and she wanted to do it for him.

As her lips slipped down over him, he released a low, guttural groan and she couldn't stop herself from smiling. Her head dipped lower as her neck moved her lips up and down as she swirled her tongue around his head, paying close attention to every noise, every groan so she knew what was working and what wasn't. It seemed like everything she was doing was working. Her right hand tightly gripped the space her mouth couldn't get to and started pumping to the rhythm of her lip ministrations. One of his hands was twisted firmly in her hair and every time he gripped it tighter, she took that as a sign to go faster. With one last exhaled groan, his hips ground up as he found his release.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and bit her lip when he collapsed against the mattress. He blew out a breath and then he was pulling up on the bed with him until her head rested against his still heaving chest. Then his hands were on her waist, tugging furiously at the button on her jeans.

"What are you doing?" She laughed into his chest.

"Come on, babe," he muttered hoarsely. "We're not done yet…I've still got a couple rounds left in me. Get those panties off."

She was still laughing when he abruptly tossed her onto her back and leapt on top of her. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-So...I know it's been way too long since I've updated this story. I guess I got side-tracked by my other new project and with school starting, this one kinda slipped passed me. I still have every intention of continuing this and I'm going to alternate between this story and House of Cards. Luckily, I'm already finished through Ch. 10 of House of Cards so that frees me up to get some updates going for this story.**

**Hopefully, you enjoyed this newest update. The next chapter will deal with some of Emma's insecurities with their 'relationship'-I can't imagine she's going to take the news of him having to go on a protection run very lightly. Not to mention the fact that her past is going to come back to haunt her-starting next chapter. **

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Your reviews/alerts/favorites are always so awesome!**


	11. On the Brink

TRUE LOVE WAY

Chapter Eleven

Emma really didn't like watching Jax pack. Even though he was only going to be gone four, five days tops, it might as well be a month. As he threw some random clothes into a bag, she sat on his bed with Abel nestled safely into the blankets next to her. When he gurgled and spit his nook out onto his stomach, she gladly looked away from Jax and focused her attention on the baby at her side. At least Abel wasn't leaving her too—she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle being abandoned by both of them. Blowing out a deep breath, she squeezed Abel's tiny little fist, trying to get a hold of herself. She knew she was being overly dramatic here; Jax was coming back. It was just a routine protection run. That was it. Then he was going to come back and everything would go back to the way it was before.

Of course, the fact that she still wasn't entirely sure what all went on during those protection runs wasn't making this any easier to swallow.

The truth was—she was going to miss him like crazy. They'd spent every night together since Abel came home from the hospital and the sudden prospect of sleeping alone seemed scary and foreign. And the knowledge that they'd yet to really sit down and talk about the parameters of their relationship was starting to feel like borderline suffocation. Ever since Jax had broken the news that he would be leaving, that was all she could think about. She had a million questions just brimming at the tip of her tongue but couldn't find the courage to push any of them out: were they going to be staying with another club? Would he even bother to call to let her know he was alright? Was he going to be hooking up with some random croweater? Did he think he could? The problem was she also didn't think it was necessarily appropriate for her to tell him not to.

Whatever this was—it was still new and neither of them had any grounds to be laying down any sort of demands or expectations. But this was going to eat away at her the entire time he was gone. She knew she'd be lucky if she was able to focus on anything else for more than a minute at a time.

"Hey, Em?" Jax's soft voice came floating from across the room.

When she brought her eyes up to meet his, she found him standing next to his dresser, balled up boxers in his hands, and watching her intently, almost worriedly. Shit…the last thing she wanted to do was worry him just as he was about to leave.

"Yeah?" She attempted a smile but felt it fall lamely on her lips.

That only made the crease in his forehead deepen. "Everything alright, babe?"

She quickly flitted her eyes back to Abel and grasped hold of his little fingers again so she didn't have to make eye contact with Jax. "Everything's fine, Jax."

He blew out an unsteady breath and tossed the clothes in his hand next to the bag, settling himself down on the bed next to her. He reached down to run a hand over Abel's smooth little patch of blonde hair and then groped for Emma's hands, bringing them up to his mouth to place several gentle kisses.

"Listen, babe," he glanced back up at her as he spoke. "I don't want you to be worried or anything…it's not like I haven't done this before. It's just normal shit—nothing new, nothing dangerous. I'll be fine…I promise, Em."

She bit her lip and mentally kicked herself for being all stressed out about whether or not he would taking some skank into his hotel room—she hadn't even really thought about whether or not he'd be in any real danger, which only made her feel even worse. In fact, she felt like a huge bitch. So instead of wallowing in self-pity—that could wait until later—she decided to suck it up and deal with it.

"I know, I know," she replied quickly, trying to ignore the way his eyebrows flew into his forehead at her hasty answer. "I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do here."

That was probably a good an answer as any.

"You don't have to do anything, Em," he reasoned, his blue eyes radiating back at her. "You know you can stay here the whole time—"

"Jax—"

"Hey," he held out a hand to stop her. "I mean it. Just because I won't be here doesn't mean you can't. And please don't feel like you're completely responsible for Abel either—my mom and Neeta are fully capable of taking care of him. You've gotta be at work and help your Mom and you don't have to worry about all my shit too."

"I know, Jax," she was smiling now despite the deep pit unfurling in her stomach. "Don't worry about me—just take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will, babe…hey, I'm sorry I won't be here when she comes home today—give her a hug for me or somethin', alright?"

"Sure," she nodded with a small smile. "My mom's gonna be so looped up on pain-killers I don't think she'll even realize she's not at the hospital anymore let alone who's there or not there."

"Yeah, you're probably right about that," he grinned, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

A few minutes later, he was all packed up and ready to head to the clubhouse. He lingered in the living room for a couple moments, like he was taking a mental picture of the entire place, and his eyes softened when he saw her come out of Abel's nursery with his son nestled safely in her arms. There was something about the way he looked at her whenever she was holding Abel that she just couldn't quite place. It stirred something in her and she felt it again every time she looked at Abel, with him reaching his tiny fist up to her. Suddenly, her agitation and hesitation over laying 'ground rules' seemed trivial. She was practically living with him—hell, he'd even given her a key so she could come and go easier while he was gone- and even though he'd said she could ask Gemma and Neeta for help, they both knew that he was really leaving his son in her care and that meant more to her than anything he could have possibly given her. It also gave her the courage to finally speak up.

And now, she was hit with the realization that he was really going to be gone. The thought of separation, even a short one, seemed to rip her heart in two—in a way, it felt like he was taking half of it with him and that she wouldn't completely be whole until he returned. And that scared the shit out of her.

Still, as if they had a will of their own, her feet were carrying out of the front door of his house and followed Jax out to the driveway as he readied his bike to leave. Abel was still bundled in her arms, looking curiously between them like he could understand everything that was said—and everything that wasn't. Jax was securing his bag into the storage compartment on his bike when he glanced up at her approaching form. His smile widened until it reached his eyes and he immediately, hastily, finished what he was doing so he could hop around his bike to meet her.

"I gotta get goin' now, Em," he said gently as his hand closed around her cheek. "I'll call you whenever I get a chance, alright? For sure when we get to Tacoma."

The name clicked in her brain and it was clear now that he would be staying with the charter in Tacoma, at least for part of the run—which meant there'd be ready and willing skanks falling all over themselves to get into his bed.

The words that tumbled out of her mouth next were completely out of her control.

"Could you do me a favor, Jax?" She didn't even wait for him to respond. "Do you think you could maybe…not sleep with anyone while you're gone? I'd really appreciate that…"

She forced herself not to shut her eyes in horror at what she'd just thoughtlessly let slip. There was no taking it back now. She'd gone and stuck her fucking foot in her mouth and now she was at the mercy of Jax's understanding. What the hell had she just done? At this point, she was just training her eyes on anything and everything that wasn't the blonde biker standing in front of her. Nevermind the fact that she was still holding his infant son in her arms or that he'd just told her he would call her whenever he got a chance. Why couldn't that have just been enough for her? Hell, his words had barely even registered before her own word vomit spewed all over the pavement.

When her eyes dared to meet his, with a wincing glance, the soft smirk that crossed his lips wiped everything she'd just been figuratively wringing her hands about. For a fleeting moment, she couldn't think, couldn't really breathe—it was a miracle she still had Abel in a firm grasp. Then Jax chuckled lightly and tugged a hand through his tangled hair.

"Well," he started finally. "I think I should be able to manage that…as long as you're waitin' for me when I get home, Em."

It wasn't really a request, at least not like her ill-timed outburst, but she read the promise in his ocean-blue eyes and she knew what he needed from her. Hopefully, he understood what she needed from him without her needing to elaborate on her lame attempt at setting things straight between them. Well, at least it better than nothing—even if there was still a lot more ground to cover.

She couldn't contain the wide grin that crossed her face and her feet were moving forward now to close the small distance between them. When she pressed her lips into his, her grin was still lingering on her face.

"I think I can handle that," she murmured back to him.

His lips twisted into that sexy lop-sided grin that was quickly serving to only drive her crazy. "Sounds good, babe."

Then he leaned down to kiss Abel gently on the top of the head and ruffled the little boy's hair. "See you later, buddy. You be good for Em and Grandma, okay?"

Abel just gurgled in response.

Jax blew out a deep breath and pulled Emma to him one last time before kissing her hair. She breathed him in—reveling in the mix of leather, grease, and musk—needing to commit all those scents to memory. It was going to be crucial to her sleeping at night.

Then Jax swung his leg over the side of his bike and revved the engine. As he backed it out of the driveway, he nodded to her with a small, albeit reassuring, smile and waved to them both before heading down the street towards the clubhouse.

* * *

><p>Jax pulled into TM's parking lot feeling like he was going to be sick. He swallowed hard and tried to shake himself out of whatever the hell was happening to him. He'd felt queasy when he'd woken up that morning and had held Emma a little bit closer to him in subconscious response but the pit in his stomach had just sunk deeper and deeper as the morning wore on. Leaving her, and Abel, had felt like someone had reached inside his chest, twisted around his insides, and then pulled them out through his throat. Was that why his throat felt so scratchy right now? What the hell was wrong with him?<p>

He squeezed his eyes shut as he hopped off his bike, hoping that would be enough to recharge himself, but it didn't do much good. He felt guilty for leaving. And he felt like a fucking asshole for not sitting Emma down ahead of time and telling her he had no intention of taking anyone to his bed except her. Sure, she'd caught him off guard and her timing wasn't the greatest but then again, he hadn't stepped up to the plate either. They had never really taken a moment to clear the air about whatever they were—not that he was big on talking about his feelings—but in this instance, the situation absolutely called for it and he'd dropped the ball. A little communication would've gone a long way and he was kicking himself for letting her wonder, potentially even stress, about what he would be doing during his down time on this run.

He was an asshole. And now he felt like he was going to be sick. What the fuck had happened to him?

Another deep breath wasn't enough to prepare him for what was waiting for him inside the clubhouse: his mother. On any other day, he was usually well-equipped to at least deflect her bullshit. But today, he wasn't exactly up to the task—preoccupation was a bitch sometimes.

Gemma was perched stoically by the bar with her arms crossed over her chest. At this point, he'd rather walk through hell naked than talk to her but experience told him she wasn't about to let him off the hook. Of course, it didn't matter that he had no idea what he'd done this time. It never really mattered.

"Hey, baby," she started easily, which only made his eyes narrow in suspicion. Whatever she was about to say—he knew he wasn't going to like it.

"Hey, Ma," he replied quietly as he stepped forward to kiss her on the cheek. "Here to see us off?"

"Of course, Jax," Gemma blinked back at him, looking a little surprised but that didn't fool him.

Of course she was here to see them off—that and then some.

"So…" Might as well get it over with; the sooner she said whatever she needed to say the sooner he could get on the road.

Her smug smirk told him that she was gearing up to spill whatever she'd been holding onto. The fact that her smirk quickly sunk into a sneer was not lost on him.

"I think we need to talk, Jax."

"Right."

She pushed out an agitated breath and hooked a fist on her hip. "About you goin' on this run and about Emma."

Shit. He should've known this was coming but did she have to fucking stick her nose in his business right _now? _As if he didn't already feel like shit already…

"Alright, Ma," he exhaled. "What do you want to talk about?"

She didn't even wait a beat. "Are you planning on keepin' it in your pants while you're gone?"

Jax squeezed his eyes shut and huffed loudly as he tugged a hand through his still wind-blown hair. "Jesus Christ, Mom…"

"It's a fair question and one you need to answer."

Of all the fucking things…he didn't need this shit today.

"I don't think I need to answer to _you_ though." And he knew he was right. He was getting real tired of his mom butting into his personal life—sure, she was his mother and had certain rights but she, by no means, deserved any sort of control over his dick. Just even thinking that felt completely twisted.

"Let me guess," Gemma jutted out her hip as she spoke and he knew he was about to be on the receiving end of more bullshit. "You don't think any of this matters because you and Emma 'don't know what this is' or some shit like that—"

"Mom, that isn't really any of your business—just so you know." He cut in curtly, just wanting this tired conversation to be over already.

Her eyebrows rose and her eyes coiled to strike. "Fine. But just answer me this one question: is she your old lady or not?"

Fuck.

"Mom…"

"I take that as a no then," Gemma interrupted with a wave of her hand before he even had a chance to defend himself and turned her sharpened index finger directly into his chest. "What the hell are you thinkin', Jackson? Did I or did I not tell you before all this shit started that you needed to figure out what you wanted before doing anything stupid? And you went ahead and shoved your head up your ass anyways."

"It's complicated, Mom," he threw his hands up in the air in an act of desperation.

"So _uncomplicate_ it," she stated simply. Only the problem was it just wasn't that simple.

"Emma has basically been living with you since Abel came home from the hospital," she went on anyways. "And for all intents and purposes has not only been your old lady in practice but Abel's de facto mother too. You need to think long and hard about that Jackson—you can only stay in limbo with her like this before so long…before the other shoe drops and something happens."

He almost said, 'like what', but immediately thought better of it. He didn't really want or need to know what those possibilities could be.

"And you know something else?" Jesus Christ, there really was no stopping her now. "I'm fuckin' pissed that you've let it go this far without figuring this shit out, Jax. You know—I'm pissed and I'm fuckin' disappointed too. You know better than this and you know what else?"

He brought his blazing eyes up to his mother's and was just sick of all this shit. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. "What?"

Gemma sighed, quickly registering the hostility in his voice and brought a hand to his cheek. "I'm sorry, baby. I'm not trying to cause problems…really, I'm not…I just want to see you happy and settled and I think you and Emma are great together. The way you look at her—the way you are with her and with Abel—it just makes me so proud, baby. But then you follow that up by being so god-damned stupid…"

He blew out a deep breath and even though, on some level, he knew she was right, he didn't have the capacity to deal with it today. This was the first time he'd ever seriously resented his duties for the club and this was also the first time he had to leave his son and his…well, Emma. His mother shoving his guilt in his face wasn't helping anything and she always thought she was just _helping_. If he had a fucking quarter for everytime she'd weaseled her way into his business, he'd probably have enough money to pay for the rest of Abel's hospital bills and the mortgage on his house to boot. He just didn't want to hear how inept and insensitive he was—he fucking knew all that shit already.

"Look, Mom," he started, not wanting to egg her on even further. "I get where you're coming from—I do, alright? But you gotta lay off…I'm gettin' ready to leave and I got a lot of shit on my mind right now. I don't really appreciate the ambushing and, again, not like this any of your business, but we talked before I left this morning and I promised her I wouldn't do anything stupid."

Gemma hitched up an eyebrow at that. "You plan on keepin' that promise?"

"Yes, I do."

His mother gave him a look with her ever-inquisitive, assessing black-lined eyes and then nodded slowly. Jax wasn't sure whether or not to take this as a good sign—with Gemma, you never really could tell. But when she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek, he had to believe he was finally off the hook.

"Alright, Jax," she muttered. "Maybe having this time away from her will be good for you—give you some time to untwist your head a little. But just remember that you need to do that _before _Abel is old enough to start callin' Emma mommy."

That was a low blow but there really wasn't much he could say in response. His mother, like usual, was right about that. He did need to pull his head out of his ass and figure this out—preferably sooner rather and later. Maybe there was a silver lining in having to leave after all; maybe he did need this time away from everything to sort through all the emotions he hadn't yet allowed himself to register.

"Anyways," Gemma continued. "Don't worry about anything here at home, okay? Abel will be fine and I've been wanting some real Grandma time with him anyway."

"Well," he scratched the back of his head as he spoke, not exactly knowing how to go about this. "Emma's gonna be takin' care of him for most of the time but I told her to call you when she needed a break…you know, maybe you could take him for a night or two but don't bombard her either, alright? Maybe just…I don't know, let her do her thing with him, okay?"

He immediately fought back a wince, fully anticipating another verbal whipping for denying her 'Grandma time' but when her mouth turned upward in a wry smile, he almost didn't believe what he was seeing.

"Where is she gonna be staying by the way?"

He just shrugged. "I gave her a key—she knows she can be there whenever she wants. I don't want her to have to be away from Abel if she doesn't wanna be—I don't know, Mom, but she's just got this way him…I have no idea how to get him down at night and she just comes in, sings a little, tucks him in, grabs his fingers, and then, just like that, he's out. But I know she's got a lot of shit goin' on right now too with her mom and everything at CaraCara so I told her to call you or Neeta whenever she needed some help."

The wry smile twisted into the sly, knowing one that he'd been familiar with all his life.

"Alright," Gemma shrugged easily. "I guess you really do plan on keepin' that promise, don't you?"

Her entire response completely threw him. It just wasn't like her to be so forthcoming and easily swayed like this. "Wait—what? You're not gonna fight me on that?"

She just shrugged again. "No, I think you and Emma had every right to work that out between the two of you. I'll help her out however she needs me to—besides, you know I love seein' my little boy anyway I can."

"Huh…well, alright."

"Just be safe, okay?" She put her hand on his cheek again and smiled up at him.

"Always, Ma."

He walked away from his mother shaking his head. Women were just so god damn confusing.

* * *

><p>Emma blew out a shaky breath as she watched her mother struggle to situate herself on the couch. She'd literally only been lying there for less than five minutes and she was already fidgeting like a five year old with a toothache. When Emma bent down to scoop up one of the pillows that had fallen to the carpet in the flurry of Luann's 'rearranging', her mom just swatted her hand away like she'd just gotten caught in the cookie jar.<p>

"What?" Emma asked incredulously, having absolutely no idea what she'd done wrong.

"I can do it, sweetie," Luann chided softly. "You can't do everything for me, Em. You've already done enough."

"Well, it's not like you're really in any position to get up and do it yourself," Gemma added lightly as she fluffed the pillow under one of Luann's broken legs. "I still, for the life of me, can't figure out why in the hell you won't let us hire you a fulltime nurse for awhile."

"I don't need a god-damn live-in nurse!" Luann cried out desperately. "No…no. That's not happening. I'm gonna be fine and sure as hell don't need some stranger livin' here with me and wiping my ass—"

"Right," Gemma smirked as she gestured between herself and Emma. "That's what you've got us for."

"Well, I agreed to the part-time one but that's fuckin' it!"

"Yeah," Emma laughed. "Because it was sooo easy to get you to agree with that."

Luann just sighed and allowed Emma to snatch the pillow from her hand so she could tuck it under her mother's head. The entire ride home from the hospital she'd known Luann had been in pain from just being in the car and she'd hoped that getting her settled into the house would ease some of her discomfort. Apparently, the medication was now doing its job. The part-time nurse wasn't due for another few hours and then was only schedule to stay for four hours to make sure Luann was taking her medicine correctly and functioning as best as possible. Unfortunately, she still had a long recovery ahead of her—the doctors had prepped them for that—but the sight of her mother engulfed in all those casts was still unsettling. For a fleeting moment, she found herself wishing that Jax had been able to there with her—all she needed was just a quick smile, a quick squeeze of his hand, even the most minimal contact and she knew she'd be able to get through this. But he wasn't here.

A moment later, when Luann was happily channel-surfing and sucking on the popsicle Gemma had ruefully handed to her like a pacifier, Emma had to believe that things were going to get better. Broken bones healed eventually, didn't they? And maybe Luann wouldn't ever be entirely back to normal, maybe there'd always be a little scar tissue but eventually, hopefully, her mother would be back on her feet, both literally and figuratively speaking.

"Hey, sweetie," Luann waved a hand just as Emma sat down on the chair across from her. "You don't have to hang out here—I know you have better things to do than babysit me. Gemma and I can take care of things here so go…get out of here…what's Dawn been up to these days? I'm sure you've got some plans with her or…wait, what about Jax?"

Emma tried to keep her eyes steadily trained on her mother and not on Jax's mother, who was surely watching her reaction like a hawk. "Um, well, Jax is out on a run right now…he should be back in four or five days. And Dawn is—"

"Wait, so where's Abel, then?" Luann asked quickly.

"He's with Neeta right now," Gemma answered for her, sending her a reassuring nod.

"Oh, okay," Luann relented quietly and then looked curiously back at Emma. "So…are you…"

"I'm taking care of Abel, yeah." She answered, probably way too quickly. She didn't exactly want to get any further into this discussion, especially with Jax's mother and Abel's grandmother in the same room. Besides, her mom had literally just come home from the hospital after being brutally beaten with a baseball bat. Did they really have to divert to gossip so quickly? Why couldn't she just rest and let the painkillers do their job?

"You know, Em," Gemma started again from her end of the couch. "Your mom's right—you don't have to sit here with us old ladies and listen to us bitch. I think we can take care of ourselves for a little while. Besides, Abel's just fine with Neeta and he'll be waitin' for you when you get back to Jax's later tonight."

Emma sighed, feeling a little strange for being unceremoniously kicked out like this. She got what they were doing and understood why her mom didn't want her to linger for too long. Luann had told her numerous times that she didn't want her to give up her life to take care of an invalid mother—not like Luann was exactly an invalid but she was pretty close right now—but if she was being completely honest with herself, she felt a little weird having been away from Abel now that Jax was gone. While she wasn't the only person around that could take care of him, there was still a part of her that felt like she needed to be spending all her time with Abel so he wouldn't feel abandoned in any way. Of course, she knew how crazy that sounded…she wasn't Abel's mother but still, she felt like if Jax couldn't be there, she most definitely had to be. And lately, it seemed like whenever she wasn't working, she just wanted to spend all her time with Abel and Jax. She'd barely seen anyone else in a few weeks and had only met Dawn for a hurried coffee twice in the last few weeks. Maybe she did need to do something that counted as being 'social' for once.

Even if she couldn't get a hold of Dawn, at the very least, she really needed to stop at her apartment for a while. She needed some more clean clothes, needed to wash the dirty ones, and hadn't checked her mail in a few days. So, with that in mind, it didn't take much more convincing to send Emma out the door and driving towards her long-neglected apartment.

It was really crazy, she thought as she pulled up to the parking lot, that as soon as her and Dawn had men in their lives, how quickly everything had changed. She honestly couldn't remember the last time they'd been at the apartment at the same time, even in passing. Dawn was always holed up with Juice somewhere, even now that their relationship was mostly out in the open. They were still being careful not to let Tig see them together too much which was for the best for everyone involved. And now that they were getting married—she still had no idea how that happened so quickly—Dawn was busy getting her new life settled. Juice had gotten them their own apartment, which really seemed like a waste since no one was ever really at theirs, but he, being the gentleman that he was, had wanted to provide for his old lady and give her their 'own place'. It was about as romantic as an outlaw biker was going to get and Dawn was very aware just how lucky she was—especially since her baby daddy was still breathing.

Every time Emma stopped at the apartment—she had to stop herself from thinking of it as the 'old' apartment—it felt strange, like she didn't really belong there and maybe she didn't. So much had changed since Abel was born…and she felt a fluttering in her stomach just thinking about it but the pang residing in her heart right now was a constant reminder of Jax's absence.

As she padded up to their mailbox, she let out a long sigh. It was practically overflowing—probably with junk mail and catalogs and a bunch of other shit she and Dawn didn't really need. She quickly flipped through the stack in her hand—bills, magazines, more bills…great—and stopped cold when a blank white envelope stared up at her. There was no return address, no writing—not even her name. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest as something clicked in her head…something about this just didn't feel right.

Immediately throwing the rest of the mail down to the ground, she tore open the envelope before she could chicken out. Her shaky fingers turned over an old photo of herself sleeping—she didn't know exactly when it had been taken but she immediately recognized the soft green sheets she'd had on her bed in her old college dorm. The photo almost slipped right out of her trembling fingers when she read the simple script on the back: "You always looked so beautiful when you sleep. I've missed this. See you soon."

Samuel. It had to be Samuel.

In a flash, she yanked open her apartment door—the mail long-forgotten behind her—and flew to the closet. She tore through the boxes she'd shoved up on the shelves when she'd first moved in until she found the one she was looking for. And even as she rifled through it for the document she needed, she already knew the answer to her question. When her shaking fingers finally closed over the restraining order she'd tucked away in the box for safe keeping, she scanned it quickly before squeezing her eyes shut in defeat.

It had been expired for almost an entire year.

She'd known this. It had been in the back of her mind somewhere but she hadn't done anything about it. But she also had had no reason to believe he was even still in California let alone still in a rage over everything that had went down. Besides, that part of her life was behind her now, a closed chapter that she'd had no intention of ever opening again.

But unfortunately, it seemed like Samuel had other plans and those painful, humiliating memories were most likely going to spill over the surface whether she liked it or not.

* * *

><p>Agent Stahl had been waiting patiently for a full five minutes before the door finally opened. After all, she had all the time in the world to deliver this news, especially since she'd been fantasizing about how it would feel for the last week. She'd timed everything perfectly: Teller had just left on a run—not like it really mattered—and she'd just gotten confirmation that Samcro's downfall, still unbeknownst to them, was finally on the move to Charming. Everything was falling into place exactly as she'd intended and after this, there really wasn't much more for her to do other than sit back and enjoy the show.<p>

This last order of business was going to be particularly enjoyable because there really was nothing she liked more than to crush someone's spirit, especially that of a hardened criminal like Big Otto Delaney. She'd promised she would be back and fuck, was she ever. The son of a bitch had no idea what was about to hit him.

It was difficult to keep the sly grin at bay as Big Otto eased himself down on the chair across from her. He was watching her expectantly, his hands folded calmly in front of him, and his one good eye squinting at her through his thick glasses.

"Hello, Mr. Delaney," Stahl started congenially. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here—"

"You did say you'd be back," Otto cut in wearily. "What do you want now?"

"Well, first of all, I would just like to offer my condolences for what happened to your wife. It was a horrible, terrible thing that happened to her and I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

She paused, looking for some sort of reaction from Otto but he remained silent across from her, his lips set in a firm, grim line.

"But, of course, the good news is that she's going to make a full recovery. Your daughter brought her home from the hospital today in fact so I'm sure Luann will be back to making porn in no time."

Still, no reaction. She felt a slight nagging prickling down her neck and was suddenly hit with the unfathomable notion that this might not be as easy as she thought it would be.

Finally, Otto spoke. "Why are you here?"

"Well, I just wanted to see if you'd changed your mind about what we discussed the last time I was here." She stated simply.

Otto let out a chilling, almost biting, bark of a laugh and ran a hand over his stubble. "And you should know that my answer hasn't changed: go fuck yourself."

Stahl just smiled, keeping up the pretense that everything was under control here. The last thing she needed to do was let him see that he'd unnerved her. "I can't say I'm surprised, Mr. Delaney. After all, you view Samcro as family—as brothers. It's only natural that you'd want to defend them. I just wonder how well you really know them."

When Otto stiffened in his chair, the slow smile of victory flowed across Stahl's lips. This was exactly the reaction she'd been looking for. She was really going to love every second of this. Everything she had observed and studied about Samcro told her that its members were self-righteous, cocky, and completely under the illusion that they were untouchable. While this wasn't completely out of the ordinary for criminal organizations, there was something about the air of superiority that Samcro's members gave off that really pissed her off. Something about them just got under her skin—maybe it was the fact that they'd collectively evaded the law for so long—but she wanted nothing more than to bring them all to their knees.

And she was going to start with Big Otto Delaney.

"What I mean is," she went on. "I'm sure there was an understanding when you went inside that the club would take care of your wife and daughter. I'm just wondering if anyone spelled out for you exactly what that meant."

She paused for effect and even though she'd been anticipating it, her heart thundered in her chest when his eyebrows rose ever so slightly. He'd taken the bait whether he liked it or not.

"Is this why you're here? To ask me some bullshit questions about my family?"

She smiled knowingly and decided to press him further. "I'm sorry—I won't waste anymore of your time. I'll cut right to the chase here…Bobby Munson has been sleeping with your wife and Jax Teller has been sleeping with your daughter."

Pausing one last time for dramatic effect, she decided to bring him even further to the brink when she saw a flickering of understanding and coiled rage in Otto's eyes.

"Now, if I were you, I'd take a good hard look at this. These people, who are supposed to be your brothers, are perfectly fine with using the women in your life however they see fit. And before you ask me how I know, it's common knowledge in Charming and no one is trying to hide anything, especially Jax Teller—who's all but broadcast the fact that he's tapping your daughter."

As Otto's eyes began to harden into thick shards of ice, Stahl just kept going.

"I don't know about you, but my definition of family doesn't involve people who are supposed to be taking care of your loved ones using them as pass-arounds." She stood from the table as she spoke. "I just thought you should have all the facts before turning me down again."

Even as she backpedalled towards the door, she could see Otto's hand close tightly around the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white. It was obvious that her message had rung loud and clear.

"Let me know if you change your mind, Mr. Delaney," she added for good measure before pushing through the heavy steel door.

There were only four days between now and the kickoff of the big show. Four days until Teller came home from the run. Four days until life as he knew it came crashing down around him. And if her instincts were right, and they always were, Big Otto would be calling Munson and Teller in to explain themselves…then he'd overturn any sense of loyalty he ever had to Samcro and give her all the extra ammunition she needed. In the grand scheme of things, this little side-note really wasn't necessary to her end goal. It was just one more crack in Samcro's armor and one more way to kick Teller when he was down. And he was most definitely going to be down.

* * *

><p><strong>AN-Well, things are about to change in Charming. Well, at least Jax and Emma got some things cleared up before he left-which was important given the tornado that's headed towards Charming. The next chapter will find Jax coming to terms (as much as he's able to) with some things about Emma and we'll see what Emma does in reaction to finding the photo. **

**Thoughts/predictions? I'd love to hear what you think! R/R!**


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